


Dark Angel

by cazmalfoy



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:17:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 48,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5217665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back in '09, a bunch of transgenics escaped from a secret government agency called Manticore. This is the story of X5-494, or Alec McDowell as he likes to be called, in the years after he and his comrades escaped into the real world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pizza and a Movie

**Author's Note:**

> This my 'Alec escaped with the rest of them' story.
> 
> I started this far too long ago for me to be able to remember, and have never finished it. It's the one story I regret never getting to the end of, so I've been making a conscious effort to force myself to focus on this and get this off my hard drive for good.
> 
> The first few chapters maybe a little - immature - compared to my most recent works and I may go back and rework at some point, but for now I just want all my fiction on AO3 so I can continue this.
> 
> Much love x

When Alec and his best friend, Jack, had escaped from a secret government agency called Manticore, neither of them had any idea what it would be like in the outside world. There had been a little over a dozen of them that night; the night that Manticore guards never forgot. The night a group of mutant transgenics escaped into the world.

Alec and Jack had been split up from the rest of them somewhere between the main building and the perimeter. They had watched in horror as the guards used tazers and stun guns to recapture other X5's.

After nine years in the world outside of Manticore, Alec had forgotten the exact details of what, exactly, had happened that night. The only things he could remember vividly were the feel of the cold snow under his feet. The way the wind whipped against his short, cropped hair. The smell of the tree's surrounding the facility, covered with droplets of snow and ice. The sound of his brothers and sisters screaming as they were recaptured.

Alec pager beeping snapped him out of his thoughts of the past. He glanced down and, recognizing the number, grinned to himself as he pulled his cell phone out. "You rang?" he asked when the ringing phone was answered.

"Hey," a male voice answered him, "are you busy tonight?"

"Well, I was going to scour Crash with Jack and pick up some chicks," Alec replied and the person on the other end of the phone laughed. "But I have a feeling this isn't a social call, so who's the hit and what time should I be there?" he asked, lowering his voice so that no one around him could hear him.

The other man laughed again, the infectious laughter making Alec smile as well. "Actually, smart ass," the voice said, "this is a social call. I managed to get my hands on a video disk from the beginning of the century, figured we could get together and watch it. If you're not too busy picking up chicks that is."

Alec laughed. "Well I suppose I could rearrange a few dates to squeeze in a night of watching movies with a sad and lonely old loser like yourself."

"Watch it," the voice warned jokingly, "or your ass will be mine."

"I thought it already was," Alec replied, before saying he'd be there at eight and hanging up.

When Alec and Jack arrived in Seattle, the first thing they did was hunt down somewhere to live. It was harder to do than it would have been normally. Ever since the Pulse, an electromagnetic shock wave which had exploded in cyber space, frying all the major computer networks and destroying all valuable information, it had become a dog eat dog world. Every man for himself, take no prisoners, was most people's line of thinking. They practically had to kill another guy to get the two bed roomed apartment they currently lived in - even if Alec seemed to spend more time away from home than he did in his own bed recently.

If he was perfectly honest with himself, Alec was sure that he would have left Seattle years ago. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't see what made people want to stay in a city where it was dangerous to have anything that cost more than twenty dollars. But whenever he thought about running his thoughts always ended up where his body now was. Stood outside the door to the top penthouse in a sector of the city which had been nicknamed 'The Rich Area'.

He knew that the person waiting for him behind the doors was the only reason Alec was still in the city and not living on a beach somewhere in southern Florida. Alec had barely been a day over sixteen when he was found, shivering in the cold wind and rain, barely able to stand. In a fit of slight insanity he had run away from his apartment and was contemplating ways to get Jack to kill him.He had been taken in and given warm food and shelter, at least until he got better. When he was lying on the bed, shivering drastically underneath the heavy blankets, he knew then that there was something special about Logan Cale. Every other person who had passed him barely looked at him, but yet here he was, in the bed of a complete stranger, feeling no nervousness or anxiety.

Alec wasn't stupid, he knew that him and Logan could never be together in the eyes of the outside world. Though time had changed, people's attitudes had remained the same. The Pulse had served to strengthen most people's belief in a higher deity. In a time when you couldn't turn to the police and family for help, the only one left to turn to was God. And many people, believed that what Alec and Logan did behind closed doors was wrong and immoral; which was why only Jack knew that Logan and Alec had been seeing each other since the transgenic was sixteen.

Both of them being guys wasn't the only thing that was keeping Logan and Alec from revealing the truth about their relationship. When Logan had found Alec, the hazel eyed man had been twenty-eight years old; twelve years older than Alec had been at sixteen. Alec knew that should anyone find out about the pair of them, people would think that Logan was a perverted old man who had taken advantage of a sick little boy. Alec knew that no one would care that Alec had been the one to come on to Logan; that Logan had pushed the transgenic away in fear that he was in fact, taking advantage of the younger boy.

"Don't just stand out there like a fool," Logan's voice through the closed door.

Alec rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. "Who you calling a fool, Cale?" he asked, wandering through Logan's apartment, following the delicious smells that were coming from the kitchen.

"Well you were the one that was standing outside my door for ten minutes," Logan retorted, turning from the stove to grin at Alec before turning back. "For a transgenic you're not very light on your feet."

Alec grinned at him, loving the teasing tone in Logan's voice when he referred to Alec's abilities. Logan had pestered Alec about the origin of his barcode for almost a whole year before Alec finally succumbed and told Logan the truth; that he was a genetically engineered killing machine who had escaped and was now trying to make his way in the world. Alec had expected looks of horror, disgust and even fear to grace Logan's face, moments before the sector police were called in. What Alec hadn't been expecting was for Logan to look at him with a look of sympathy and pity as he heard about the goings on within the walls of Manticore,before the older man had taken Alec to bed and shown the transgenic how little Logan cared about Alec's past and how much Logan loved him now.

"What are you making?" Alec asked, hopping up onto the table and stealing a piece of salad from the bowl placed in the centre. "I thought it was going to be a quiet night in, just you and me; nothing fancy."

Logan grinned at him, "It is," he agreed. "But I figured, what's a night in if we don't have pizza?"

Alec's eyes widened, "You made pizza?" he asked in awe. Logan nodded his head. "What flavor?" he asked hoping that Logan would reply with what Alec wanted to hear.

"Pepperoni," Logan grinned, bracing himself seconds before Alec jumped of the table and threw himself into the older man's arms. "Your favorite, I assume?" he laughed as Alec pulled away.

"You know it is," Alec grinned, swatting Logan lightly on the arm. "Thank you," he whispered, standing on his tip toes to raise himself the two inches it took to meet Logan's lips.

"You're welcome," Logan replied, squeezing Alec gently before releasing him and pulling the perfectly cooked pizza out of the oven. "I knew it'd make you happy. And when you're happy, I get laid."

Alec laughed and tried to steal a piece of pepperoni off of the pizza. "I knew there was another motive." He scowled at Logan as he swatted Alec's hand away. "What movie did you get?" Alec asked following Logan into the sitting room; or maybe he was just following the pizza, he couldn't decide.

"Pirates of the Caribbean," Logan answered, sliding the disk into his DVD player and settling back on the couch. "Never heard of it," Alec shrugged, curling into Logan's side as the movie started.


	2. Seattle Welcomes Max

It was her, Alec was sure of it. He had spent the past ten years trying to pretend that his time at Manticore never happened and thenshe turned up at the very place Alec had worked for the past two years. At first he had been sure he had imagined seeing her, then when he came back from a run she was stood talking to Original Cindy.

"Who's that?" Alec asked his friend, Calvin 'Sketchy' Theodore.

"New girl," Sketchy replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Max, something or other." "Guevera," a female voice interrupted them and both teenagers turned to face her. "Ben?" she asked in surprise staring at Alec intently.

"Actually, I'm Alec," he corrected, "see this mole," he pointed to his neck. "Ben doesn't have one."

Sketchy looked confused, "Who's Ben? And do you two know each other?"

"Ben's my brother," Alec informed him, not taking his eyes off of Max. "Twin brother."

"We used to go to school together," Max added, "boarding school."

"So, did you two ever?" Original Cindy asked, joining in the conversation.

Max was the first one to realize what OC was asking and she grimaced. "Don't be disgusting," she instructed OC. "Even if we weren't practically brother and sister, I would never lower myself that much," she indicated to Alec.

Alec rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "I see you're as much of a self righteous bitch as ever, Maxie."

"Well at least I have standards," Max retorted, turning on her heel and stalking away from the group.

"Yeah, anything with two legs and a dick," Alec muttered under his breath, walking off in the opposite direction.

"I'll take that as a no then," OC said to nobody in particular.

*

Something was bothering Alec. Logan would have to blind not to notice it. As soon as Logan had walked into his apartment, he knew something was off. For one thing, the front door was unlocked and nobody left anything unlocked now. Ever. He soon found the reason why his front door was unlocked, standing by the window gazing at the sky outside, which had just begun to shed droplets of rain water.

"You do know it's called breaking and entering, don't you?" Logan smirked, stepping closer to Alec. He frowned when Alec didn't respond. "Alec?" he questioned placing a hand on Alec's arm. "What's wrong?" he asked when the transgenic turned his head to look at him.

"Max," Alec whispered.

"Max?" Logan repeated, wracking his brain as he tried to remember why the name sounded familiar. At that moment it hit him, "Max from Manticore?" he asked quietly. Alec nodded his head. "What's she doing in Seattle?"

Alec shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know," he told Logan. "We didn't really do much talking." Logan looked as if he was going to ask if Alec and Max had kissed but the transgenic opened his mouth and cut him off. "She thought I was Ben and when I told her who I really was, she went into a strop and stalked off."

"Ben being, your brother?" Logan asked and Alec nodded his head. "Were you and this Max close?"

Alec snorted with laughter. "No way," he replied. "She hates me and, I've gotta admit, the feelings mutual. She used to practically hero worship Ben. He believed in nothing but the high place and the blue lady. The roof and the Virgin Mary," Alec explained at Logan's confused look. "At the time the idea that there was a higher being watching over us did make me, all of us actually, feel safe. But after so long, with everything that Manticore put us through, I started to question whether what Ben was saying was true or not.

"At the time me and Max were pretty close - well, as close as Manticore allowed us to be. I told her that I had doubts that there really was any body out there. She thought I had turned traitor. Saying that Ben might be wrong was practically a mortal sin to her. She tried to convince Ben and the others that I had disrespected the lady and I should be froze out of the group. But Ben, being the stubborn person that he was, refused to believe that his own brother could renounce the lady. And because, everyone followed Ben's actions they didn't believe Max either.

"Max became mad that she couldn't get Ben to turn against me and froze me out herself. She's hated me ever since," Alec finished.

"And now she's back in your life," Logan added, taking Alec by the hand and carefully leading him to the couch.

Alec nodded his head, "Yeah," he agreed. "After all these years of me trying to forget Manticore ever existed she turns up, not just back in my life but at the very place I work."

"She works for Jam Pony?" Logan asked in surprise.

"It wouldn't bother me so much if it was Zack or Tinga," Alec said, "hell, even if it was Ben I wouldn't be bothered. It's the fact that it'sher that's getting to me. How am I supposed to do my job when every time I see her, I want to smack her?"

"By remembering that when you finish work you can cuddle up under the covers with me," Logan suggested, grinning wickedly.

Alec smirked at him. "Yeah," he agreed. "I think that would work."

"What do you say we give it a try?" Logan grinned.

"What about your nightly Eyes Only bulletin?" Alec asked, indicating towards the study where Logan's computer was already geared up; ready to deliver a message by the only true news reporter in the state - Eyes Only.

"It can wait," Logan shrugged, pulling Alec towards the bedroom. "The world will still be broken tomorrow." Alec grinned at the phrase Logan always used when he put off work to spend time with Alec and Jack, who was usually a frequent visitor of Logan's as well and, who, sometimes helped Alec out on Eyes Only missions.

"Look at that," Alec commented, "the infamous Eyes Only putting off playing superhero to spend time with lil' old me."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Shut it you," he instructed, swatting Alec lightly on the arse. "You're getting cheekier and cheekier."

"But you love my cheeks," Alec grinned.

Logan laughed as squeezed one cheek gently, "Definitely, but it really does make me wonder what happened to the sweet, shy sixteen year old I used to know." He bit his lip in mock thought, "No wait, that was Jack. Never mind," he grinned.

Alec huffed indignantly, and pushed Logan onto the bed, "That's it, Mr Cale," he said, looking at an amused Logan, "you're dead."

*

"Max?" Jack repeated in surprise. "Is here? In Seattle?"

Alec sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jack, I've already repeated myself twice, please don't make me have to again."

"Sorry, Al," Jack replied, "I'm just finding it a little hard to believe that after ten years of it just being us here, Max turns up. Are you even sure it was her? I mean, we've all changed a lot since we got out."

"It was her, Jack," Alec swore, running his hand through his hair. "She even mistook me for Ben."

"Ben?" Jack asked. "God, I haven't seen him in years," he remembered. "What did she say to you?"

"She was her usual self," Alec informed his friend. "Bitched at me some as if she was better than me, then stalked off in a huff when I told her to go screw herself."

"You always did have a way with words, Al," Jack laughed. "Aren't the two of you a little old to keep this grudge up still?" he asked.

Alec looked at Jack as if the blond was going mad. "No," he replied. "She's hated me for as long as I can remember, the least I can do is return the favor."

Jack merely shook his head, wondering if he could knock some sense into his friend; then he wondered if maybe Logan could screwsome sense into him.


	3. Pilot

It had been almost a year since Max started working for Jam Pony alongside Alec. Alec still wasn't happy that they were in such close proximity everyday. For him all Max's presence did was stir up old memories he thought he had long since buried; memories he wanted to forget he ever had. He didn't know if it was the same for Max; he didn't know and he didn't care. As far as he was concerned Max could leave and never come back and Alec would be satisfied.

"Hey," Alec called, pushing Logan's door open and entering the apartment.

Logan stuck his head around the door to the study and grinned at the transgenic as Logan exited the room. "Hey yourself," he replied, leaning down slightly and placing a gentle kiss on Alec's lips. When Logan tried to pull away Alec followed him, refusing to release the older man's lips. Logan chuckled against Alec's lips as he deepened the kiss.

After a few moments both pulled back breathlessly, grinning at each other. "I like those kind of welcome homes," Alec grinned at Logan.

Logan laughed, "Even though you technically don't live here."

"I might as well," Alec shrugged. "I spend more time here than I do at my place."

"You guys aren't doing anything are you?" Jack's voice said from the doorway behind Alec.

Alec laughed when he turned around and saw that Jack was standing in the door with his hand over his eyes. "Oh, Logan," he cried, "you're hands feel so good. Just there," he grinned, "Yes!"

Both Alec and Logan laughed when Jack pulled a face at the noises Alec was making. They laughed even harder when the blond transgenic peeked through his fingers. "You peeked," Alec laughed, clutching at his sides. "The 'don't ask, don't tell' guy checked to see if we really were doing anything. I think he wants a show, Logan," Alec added, grinning at the hazel eyed man.

"No I don't," Jack retorted. "I might not care that you're two guys but I definitely don't want to see it."

"Sure," Alec dragged the word. "Right. I believe you. Denial," he stage whispered to Logan.

Jack rolled his eyes and stuck his middle finger up at Alec before he headed towards the kitchen to raid Logan's fridge; Jack had the hugest appetite of anyone Alec knew and Logan's fridge was always stocked with some kind of tasty treat.

"Logan," a little girl's voice cried loudly. The person attached to the voice quickly ran up to Logan and handed him a piece of pink paper. "Can you make an airplane?" she asked, looking up at him with her eyes wide.

Logan grinned down at her, "I can," he informed her, "but I know someone who can make better ones than even me."

"Who?" she questioned excitedly.

Logan crouched down so that he was on her level and pointed up to Alec. "Him," he whispered.

"Who's that?" she whispered back glancing nervously at Alec.

"That's my very good friend, Alec," he told her.

"Is he a good guy?" she questioned.

Logan smiled up at Alec, "He's a very good guy," he answered her.

"Hi, Alec," she greeted, smiling shyly up at him.

"Hey," Alec replied, crouching down as well.

"Can you make an airplane?" she asked, taking the paper off of Logan and handing it to Alec.

Alec smiled and quickly folded the paper this way and that, resulting in a perfect paper airplane. "There you go," he said, handing it back to her.

"Wow!" she cried, holding the airplane up and examining it from every angle. "Can you make more?" she begged.

"Alec can go with you to make lots of them," Logan told her and Alec glared at him. "Why don't you go get some paper ready and Alec will be there in a sec?" he suggested.

The little girl nodded her head before bouncing off excitedly to find more paper.

"Please, Alec," Logan practically begged as he grabbed Alec's hands and pulled him up. "I need you to keep and eye on her."

"That's the daughter of that politician, or whoever he is, isn't she?" Alec asked; Logan had asked him to come over on an Eyes Only assignment and the transgenic figured that she must have been part of the assignment.

Logan nodded his head. "I don't want to leave her alone and she seems to have taken well to you. Please, I'd feel better knowing it was you protecting her rather than some stupid bodyguard who's slow on his feet and dumb."

Alec grinned at him. "Well, when you put it like that how can I refuse?" he laughed. "You owe me big time, Cale."

"Trust me," Logan whispered, kissing Alec gently. "I'll make it up to you."

"You'd bloody better," Alec retorted, "I hate kids."

*

"Excuse me," Logan said, leaning on the counter behind which Ronald 'Normal' Reagon was standing. "I'm looking for someone. I wonder if you could help me."

Logan held up a picture of a female with long dark hair, full lips and brown eyes for Normal to see. "Listen pal," Normal said. "She may be easy on the eyes but she's trouble." With that Normal turned away from Logan and continued sorting through packages.

Logan sighed and turned his eyes to the rest of the room, scanning for the girl in the picture. He grinned to himself when he saw a familiar face. "Hey," he greeted as he walked over.

Alec's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for someone," Logan replied. "But that guy over there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard."

Alec grinned at Logan's description of Normal. "Well you can't be looking for me 'cause you would have just paged me. You know Jack works across town in the market so you're not here for him. Who you looking for?" he asked, cocking his head to one side curiously.

"Is this that Max person you keep going on about?" Logan asked, holding the picture up so Alec could see it clearly.

"Yeah that's her," Alec agreed. "Where did you get that?"

"She broke into my apartment last night," Logan told Alec quietly.

"What?" Alec growled. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Logan assured Alec. "She wasn't after me. I think she was after one of my statues. You know the one you don't like?"

"It has evil eyes," Alec shuddered. "Why are you looking for her? Just tell the sector police that she broke into your place."

"She knows about me," Logan told him. "Who I am," he lowered his voice.

"How did she find out?" Alec asked, nervousness settling in his stomach; very few people knew that Logan was Eyes Only and any one else finding out was just too dangerous.

"When she broke in I was in the middle of doing a broadcast," Logan whispered so that no one around them would hear.

"Do you want me to kill her for you?" Alec asked, his eyes lighting up; he clearly would kill her as soon as Logan gave the word.

"No," Logan told him sternly; the tone of his voice leaving no doubt that Alec wasn't to kill Max. Alec actually looked put out that Logan wanted her to stay alive. "I was actually thinking that she could come in useful."

Alec frowned, "You mean you want to recruit her?" he asked. "What about me and Jack? Aren't we good enough for you anymore?" he glared at Logan.

Logan rolled his eyes. "You know that you and Jack are more than good enough for me but I was thinking that she seems like a seasoned sneak thief. You and Jack are fighters, combat soldiers. You can take a guy out in two seconds flat but breaking and entering really isn't your strong suit," he explained softly. "I think she'd be useful to have on our side."

"You clearly don't know Max," Alec laughed softly. "She's the type of person that works for no one except herself."

"I think I can persuade her," Logan replied cockily.

Alec shook his head, "You can try, but you'll see that I'm right in the end."

*

Alec rummaged through his locker looking for his pager, he had tossed it in his locker earlier because it had been annoying him; and now he was wondering if Logan had paged him about the mission Alec and Jack were carrying out tonight - helping Logan make sure the little girl and her mother were safe. He frowned when he saw that no one had paged him since Alec had tossed the pager in the locker.

Tossing it back in, he slammed the door closed and turned to watch the television that everyone else was staring in horror at. He felt his stomach tighten as he saw someone pulling a little girl out of a car, while shooting a gun at their attackers. He almost lost his lunch when he saw one of the attackers shoot the guy who had hold of the kid in the back. The little girl was ripped from the guys arms as he turned over on his back so that the hoverdrome could see his face. It was Logan.

Seconds after Alec saw Logan's pain filled face the transgenic's cell phone rang. "Yeah," Alec answered distractedly.

"Al," Jack's worried voice filtered though the line. "Are you watching the news?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," he replied.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked in concern at Alec's lack of speech.

"We should have been there, Jack," Alec said, biting his lip and willing tears down as he continued to stare at the screen; he wouldn't cry at work. He would save it until he was in Logan's apartment taking care of him. "Why didn't he wait for us to get there before they moved them to a secure location?" he demanded of Jack, as if the transgenic knew how Logan's mind worked.

"I don't know, Al," Jack answered. "We'll ask him tonight when we go to see him."

*

Alec sat next to Logan's bed, holding his hand. The older man was still recovering from the surgery he had been through to try and save his spine. Unfortunately, according to the chart that Max had delivered with Logan, when she returned him to his apartment, the surgery had been unsuccessful and Logan would probably never walk again; but Alec didn't care as long as Logan was alive and still with him.

Max. Her very name made Alec's stomach turn. He couldn't stand the fact that she had gotten to the hospital before Alec and Jack had. Alec knew that he should be glad that Max had arrived when she did. If she had been any later Logan would have still been in the room when it exploded and Alec would have lost him. But the thought that Logan now owed his life to Max made Alec want to kill her for interfering with their lives. Plus it meant that Max was probably going to be even more of an annoyance in Alec's life.

"The next time you want to save the world," Alec replied, stroking the back of Logan's hand gently, "at least wait for us to get there. It's not Max's job to protect you. It's mine. You're mine. Not hers. Don't you forget that." He stood up and leant over Logan, gently placing a kiss on the unconscious man's forehead before leaving him to rest.


	4. Heat

"I don't know why you insist on pushing yourself so fast, you know," Bling commented as Logan continued doing the leg exercises designed to strengthen the muscles in the journalists legs.

"He's right," Alec commented from where he was standing in the doorway.

"Why are you all ganging up on me?" Logan snapped glaring at Alec.

"Because they're mean," Jack answered, his voice slightly muffled by the scoop of ice cream that was in his mouth.

"Because no one wants to see you hurt yourself more than you are already," Bling said, ignoring Jack's comment. The Physiotherapist was used to Alec and Jack appearing in Logan's apartment seemingly at short, if any, notice. He knew that they were Logan's friends and Alec seemed to have more of an influence on the hazel eyed man that Bling did; although he didn't know the full extent of their relationship, he did know that Logan seemed to trust Alec more than anyone else.

"Hey guys," Max's voice said from the doorway behind them.

Jack grinned and waved at her, while Alec merely offered her a half smile. "Hey Max," Logan greeted, as cheerfully as he could through gritted teeth.

"I think you've had enough for today," Bling decided, moving his hands away from where they were spotting Logan's legs.

"No," Logan argued, determined to carry out more exercises.

"Logan," Bling chided, placing a hand on Logan's shoulder, "you've had enough. Remember a little bit at a time. If you go too fast you'll hurt yourself more."

Logan sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to win the argument, not with Alec there as well. Putting his glasses back on, he carefully manoeuvred himself from the work out table to his wheelchair, aware that Alec was carefully watching his every movement in case his assistance was needed.

"Make sure you drink lots of water," Bling instructed glancing at Alec who nodded his head, silently promising Bling that Logan would do just that.

"Yes, mom," Logan said with a sigh as Bling let himself out of the apartment.

Max , who hadn't taken her eyes off of Logan since the moment she noticed he was working out, stepped further into the room. "It's amazing what happens when you put three dirt bags in a room with guns and money," she commented, tipping the contents of the bag onto the table. "You end up with three dead dirt bags."

Alec frowned as she continued talking about the money with Logan, Jack had disappeared into the kitchen in search for more food. It wasn't the fact that Max had just turned up with a bag full of cash that was bothering him. It was the way she was talking to Logan that was bothering him; it sounded as if she wanted to jump his bones any second. At first Alec thought he had been imaging it but then he saw the look in her eyes and he knew he was right. She wanted his man.

A short while later Max went into a strop and stormed out of the apartment, leaving Alec and Logan alone in the room; there was a strange smell coming from the kitchen and Alec hoped that Jack didn't burn the apartment building down.

"What?" Logan asked as he turned to face Alec and saw the transgenic blatantly staring at him.

Alec didn't answer. He took the couple of steps that were required to reach Logan and covered the other man's lips with his own in a hard and demanding, passionate kiss. After a while Alec pulled away panting, smirking at Logan's stunned look as he too tried to catch his breath.

"What was that for?" Logan panted.

"Just reminding you who you belong to," Alec told him, a smirk on his face before he went to check on Jack in the kitchen.

*

"Who the hell is Hannah?" Alec questioned as he and Logan sat at the table. Jack had managed to keep the kitchen in, more or less, one piece and to celebrate Logan had cooked the couple a meal.

"She rescued Max when you guys escaped," Logan answered, shovelling some pasta into his mouth. "She's never mentioned her?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Alec said, "we don't exactly do much talking."

"How did you and Jack manage to get as far away as you did?" Logan asked after a few moments.

Alec sighed andlooked away, his mind rushing back to that night ten years ago.

_The snow was cold on his bare feet. He knew he was going to have blisters but as the state of his feet was the last thing on his mind as he continued to run. He could hear the snow crunching under someone else's feet and he felt much safer knowing that Jack was with him. If Jack was next to him, Alec knew that he would be able to survive in the world outside Manticore._

_"Alec," Jack whispered, tugging at his brother's arm. "We won't make it," he gasped._

_"Yes, we will," Alec argued. "We just have to keep moving."_

_"We need to rest," Jack persisted._

_"If we stop we'll get caught," Alec replied, carrying on running. "There's a road up there," he pointed in front of them. "If we can make it there, we'll be safe."_

_They both kept running and, just like Alec promised, they soon reached the road. "Now what?" Jack panted, clutching his ribs in agony._

_"Look," Alec said, pointing towards a set of nearby headlights. "An abandoned car."_

_"It's not abandoned, you idiot," Jack rolled his eyes. "There's a guy there, taking a piss," he pointed into the trees a little bit away from the car._

_"Well, we'll steal his car while he's not in it then," Alec replied, making a break for the car. Jack rolled his eyes again, running after Alec and jumping into the passenger seat. "Thank you Manticore for breeding us to drive combat vehicles," Alec muttered as he turned the keys that were in the ignition and started the engine._

_"Hey!" the guy cried, fastening his jeans and running up the embankment just as Alec slammed his foot onto the accelerator and sped off into the night._

_"Thanks for the ride," Alec grinned out of the window at the bewildered man._

Logan laughed when Alec finished his story. "That is so you," he commented, shaking his head in amusement.

Alec grinned back at him and put his fork down. "That was really good," he said, licking his lips.

"Thanks," Logan replied, grinning back at him. "You want desert?" he smirked.

Alec's eyes light up and nodded his head. "Oh definitely," he laughed. He stood up and grabbed the chocolate sauce from the cabinet behind him. "As long as I can have Logan Cale with a side of chocolate sauce."

Logan laughed, "I think that can be arranged."

*

"You didn't really think she had a boyfriend, did you?" Alec asked from where he was sitting on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth.

"I was trying to prove to you that you're wrong about her having a thing for me," Logan replied.

"But I'm not," Alec rolled his eyes, "she wants you bad. I saw the way she was looking at you. Trust me, I know that look."

"She thought I was jealous of the thought of her seeing someone else," Logan told Alec, chuckling to himself.

"She, what?" Alec questioned. "What made her think that?"

"Probably because I was asking her about her boyfriend," Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I told her that we didn't have that kind of relationship," he assured Alec at the transgenic's look.

"She'd better get it," Alec threatened, "or else she'll have to answer to me."

Logan grinned at him. "You're so cute when you're possessive," he commented.

"I'm not cute," Alec pouted, folding his arms across his chest. "Gorgeous, maybe. But definitely not cute."

Logan rolled his eyes at Alec's childish behaviour. "But you don't have to be all possessive, you know?" he asked. "I'm not planning on doing anything with her."

"I know, I trust you," Alec told him. "It's her I don't trust. She's stubborn, if she wants something she'll go after it."

"A stubborn transgenic." Logan smirked. "Who would imagine?"


	5. Flushed

Alec cringed as he convulsed violently. He felt Logan press a cold cloth against his forehead. The Tryptophan that Logan supplied him on a regular basis was usually enough to keep the convulsions at bay, but there were times when the chemical imbalance in his brain became so bad that not even the medication would help.

When that happened Logan was always there to take care of him until the convulsions subsided again. Something that Alec would always be grateful for; the convulsions were not the nicest of things to experience and more often than not, they hurt like Hell and Logan's presence made them somewhat bearable.

"You okay?" Logan asked quietly as the convulsions faded away.

Alec panted, slightly out of breath, and nodded his head, swallowing thickly. "Thank you," he whispered.

Logan smiled and kissed Alec gently, "No problem." He helped Alec move himself into a sitting position. "Here," he handed Alec a glass and a couple of Tryptophan tablets.

"Thanks," Alec said gratefully, swallowing the tablets with a couple of gulps of water. "I hate those."

"Me too," Logan commented, putting the cloth down on the coffee table. "You scared me half to death the first time it happened."

Alec looked guilty. "Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot to mention that Manticore screwed up my brain a little. They didn't do it with everyone but I think they cocked up when they were mixing me up or something. The same thing happened with Ben and Max as well."

"I know Max has them," Logan told him. "That's how I persuaded her to help me out. I found her tablets. Amazing how she reacted when she found out that I knew."

"Logan Cale," Alec said, sounding shocked. "You blackmailed someone?" He grinned. "I'm impressed!"

Logan grinned as well and kissed Alec gently on the lips. "Well I learnt from the best."

"Too right you did," Alec smirked.

*

"Urgh!" Alec exclaimed in annoyance as the lights went out. "I hate it when that happens."

"When what happens?" Jack's voice asked through the darkness.

"Open your eyes and you'll find out," Alec rolled his eyes.

"Oh," Jack said, opening his eyes. "A brownout. We got any candles?" he asked, not moving from where he was lying on the couch.

"We used them all the last time there was one," Alec replied. "I meant to steal some from Logan but I couldn't find any he wouldn't miss."

"Why don't you just ask him if we can have some?" Jack asked, sitting up and looking through the darkness at Alec. "I'm pretty sure that he'll give us some considering they'd be for you."

"I might ask him the next time we go over," Alec said. "Besides, it's not like we need candles to see when it's dark."

"So? It's still nice to have actual light every once in a while," Jack retorted. "Do you want to play hide and go seek?" he blurted out a few moments later.

Alec stared at him in surprise before bursting out laughing. "How old are you again?" he laughed.

"What?" Jack asked innocently as if what he asked was perfectly normal.

"I'm not playing hide and go seek," Alec stated firmly.

Jack pouted, "Spoil sport," he muttered, closing his eyes again and ignoring Alec's presence.

*

"They bad for you as well?" Alec asked quietly under his breath when Normal had finished moaning at Max.

"Yeah," Max replied, opening her locker. "Worse than normal. Had to borrow some money off of my roommate to buy some tablets."

"You should have asked Logan if he could get you some," Alec said, leaning against the lockers. "He's where I've been getting mine from since I arrived in Seattle."

"Really?" Max asked in surprise. She didn't know that Logan knew about Alec's seizures as well as his transgenic DNA. Alec nodded his head. "Thanks," she said, sounding genuinely grateful for the first time that Alec could remember. "I'll remember that in future. See you later, I need to ask OC a favour."

*

"Hey, it's me. I need your help," Logan said when the ringing phone was answered.

"Why? What's wrong?" Alec asked, thinking that something was wrong with Logan.

"Max is in trouble," Logan told him. "Her pills have been flushed."

"Shit," Alec swore. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Logan replied.

"You want me to see if I find her?" Alec offered.

"Please. Thank you." Logan put the phone down and turned back to OC. "I hope that nothing happens to her, for everyone's sake."

Half an hour later Logan's cell rang. "Hey, it's me," Alec's voice greeted.

"You find her?" Logan asked urgently.

"No," Alec said, sounding regretful. "She wasn't at work and she's not at her apartment."

"If she doesn't get some pills soon, you know what'll happen to her."

"I know," Alec sighed. "I'll keep trying to find her. Jack's helping too."

"Thanks, Al," Logan said gratefully putting the phone down and looking at OC.

"Who was that?" the dark skinned woman asked, glaring at Logan.

"A friend of mine," Logan told her just as his phone rang again. "Hey, Matt," he greeted.

*

"Did you manage to get her out in the end?" Jack asked later on as he crashed on Logan's couch.

"Yeah," Logan replied, handing Jack a cup of hot soup. The transgenic grinned and practically breathed in the soup. "Me and Matt pulled some strings and got Original Cindy arrested as well. Luckily she was put in the same cell as Max. It was good of the two of you to offer to find her," Logan added, looking gratefully at Jack before turning his gaze to Alec who was slouching low in the nearby armchair.

"Don't remind me," Alec scowled.

"Yeah, Al," Jack commented, setting the cup aside and sitting up. "You did something good for someone else."

"I always do things for other people," Alec argued, folding his arms across his chest.

"But this was for Max," Jack smirked. "The bane of your existence."

"Right now the bane of my existence is you," Alec glared at Jack.

"He's right, Alec," Logan grinned, "you did help Max. You must be kicking yourself now."

"You're not getting laid if you're not careful, Cale," Alec threatened, turning his glare to Logan.

"Ew, gross," Jack pulled a face. "Too much information, Al," he shuddered. Logan and Alec laughed at the expression on Jack's face. "Why does everyone keep laughing at me?" Jack glowered at the pair of them.

"Because you're so stupid sometimes, Jack," Alec chuckled at his best friend.

"Alec," Logan chastised, "stop being so mean."

"But he is," Alec argued. "You weren't there when the brownout happened," he told Logan. "This idiot asked me if I wanted to play hide and go seek in the dark."

Logan chuckled and stopped laughing at the glare on Jack's face. "Why did you want to play that?" he asked.

"I was bored," Jack shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. It's not like we got to play it when we were younger. So what if I was trying to make up for lost time?" he said defensively.

Alec and Logan were silent, exchanging guilty expressions. "Jack, I," Alec started to say but Jack, knowing what Alec was going to say, interrupted him.

"Do you have any chocolate?" he asked Logan.

Logan nodded his head. "I think so," he answered. "You want me to see if I have enough to make a chocolate cake?" he offered.

Jack's eyes lit up and he bit his lip, nodding his head eagerly. "I love you, Logan," he whispered, a grin on his face; their previous conversation was obviously forgotten in favour of chocolate.

Logan laughed and shook his head, wheeling himself into the kitchen to prepare the cake.


	6. C.R.E.A.M

"You know, I've never kidnapped anyone before," Alec said, pausing in the doorway.

"Me neither," Jack commented, leaning on the doorframe next to Alec.

"It was fun," Alec grinned and Jack nodded his head in agreement.

Logan rolled his eyes and shut off his computer. "Why doesn't it surprise me that you both enjoyed it?"

"Because tying people up is a kink of mine?" Alec suggested, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Urgh!" Jack pulled a face. "You two are disgusting," he scowled, heading into the sitting room to watch Logan's television.

"So you have a kinky side?" Logan grinned up at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alec smirked, sliding his hands around Logan's back and pulling him to his feet.

"Al, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Logan said, looking down at the chair nervously as he gripped hold of Alec's biceps almost tight enough to leave bruises.

"It's okay, I've got you," Alec reassured him, tightening his grip on Logan's waist. "Just trust me," he whispered in Logan's ear.

Logan tentatively released Alec's arms, smiling in relief when he felt Alec's transgenic strength holding him steady. "Of course I trust you," he smiled at Alec. The younger man grinned and pulled Logan closer, holding him flush against his own body. Logan's hands went up to bury themselves in Alec's mousey brown hair. "I always have, always will," he whispered, covering Alec's lips with his own in a passionate kiss.

Alec pulled away, slightly out of breath. "I love you," he murmured, almost too quietly for Logan to hear it, as he rested his forehead against Logan's.

Logan smiled and kissed him gently on the lips. "And I love you," he whispered as Alec carefully lowered him back down into his wheelchair.

*

"Can I ask you a question?" Logan asked Alec and Jack a short while later. Alec nodded his head. "Were you guys actually born on the day you celebrate as your birthday?"

Alec frowned. "That is a really random question," he commented. "But I doubt it. Manticore wasn't big on the whole birthday thing."

"So you just picked random days?" Logan questioned.

Jack nodded his head. "Alec was being his usual mean self and told people that my birthday was April 1st. After a while I didn't see the point in arguing that it wasn't so I decided to keep it. Why?" he asked curiously.

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I was just curious," he answered. "Did you know Max doesn't have one?"

"Didn't know," Alec admitted. "Didn't, and still don't, care. You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you wanted to shag her more than me," he smirked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Am I going to have to go make another sandwich?" Jack sighed.

Alec laughed, "You act that like it's such a big chore. You know you want another one anyway. It's a good job we've got a higher metabolism than most people, otherwise you'd be huge." Jack just flipped him the bird.

Logan laughed at their antics and as they both turned their glare on him he asked, "Either of you want some grapefruit?"

*

"Jack, you think you can scour me a Gameboy?" Logan asked the blond transgenic as they sat at the journalists dining room table.

"A Gameboy?" Jack repeated, shovelling some food into his mouth. "They're pretty hard to get nowadays," he commented.

"I know that," Logan said. "You get one or not?"

Jack shrugged. "Depends."

"On?" Logan asked, knowing that Jack wasn't going to make it easy for his best friends lover to get his hands on what he wanted.

"On what's in it for me?" Jack replied. "Unlimited access to your kitchen?" he suggested.

Logan grinned and rolled his eyes. "Jack, you already have unlimited access to my kitchen. If you didn't work in the market I'd have to go shopping everyday."

Jack laughed and nodded his head in agreement. "Good point," he agreed. "Fine, you have to make me a surprise three course meal if I can get my hands on one."

Logan chuckled. "Most people would ask for money but I think I do that. Even though, since you know about it, it won't be a surprise," he pointed out.

"It will be if I don't know what you're making me," Jack replied, holding his hand out across the table towards Logan.

"In that case," Logan grinned, putting his hand in Jack's, "deal."

*

"Why doesn't Max like guns?" Logan asked Jack and Alec as they sat in his office. Alec and Jack exchanged glances but otherwise didn't say a word. "What?" Logan questioned. "Don't look like that. It makes me feel like I've missed something major."

"When we," Jack started to say.

"Back at Manticore a friend of ours got shot for finding one. They were shot in cold blood and died. Max hasn't liked them ever since and I can't say I'm too keen on them either."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"I gave her one, for protection," Logan shrugged.

Alec smiled, "Logan, we hardly need to be protected with guns," he reminded him.

"Can't hurt to have extra protection," Logan retorted. "I just don't want anything to happen to any of you."

"It won't," Alec assured him, reaching over and squeezing his hand gently.

"Yeah, Logan," Jack added, patting Logan on the shoulder. "We'll be fine. You don't have to worry about us."

*

"Why are you spending today in the library?" Alec asked, trying to push Logan's books to one side and get his attention.

"Because, unlike you, my job depends on me actually doing something not just giving packages to the wrong people." Logan didn't look up, he merely continued writing.

"That happened one time," Alec rolled his eyes. "It was two years ago and an accident, are you ever going to let me forget it?"

Logan laughed and shook his head, still not looking up. "Eventually," he shrugged.

"Well as much as I like you, I don't fancy spending all day in the library so I'm gonna go hang with Jack for a bit. See you later?" he asked, placing a hand under Logan's chin and making the other man look up at him.

"Definitely," Logan agreed and, seeing that they were alone, he placed a soft kiss on the transgenic's lips. "Watch out for the…"

"Hoverdrome's," Alec finished for him, smirking at him as he left the library.

*

"Do I make everything about me?" Logan asked Alec.

"What?" Alec asked in surprise. Logan's question had been so out of the blue that it had thrown him for a loop. They had been talking about Alec's day one minute and then the question appeared. Logan repeated the question and Alec was still as surprised as before. "No!" he scoffed. "You're the most unselfish person I know, Logan. How many people would open their home to a complete stranger and baby them until they recover from the bout of flu they'd caught because they hadn't taken care of themselves?" he asked.

Logan smiled at him. "I wouldn't just help anyone," Logan argued.

"Yes, you would."

Logan shrugged, "Well, maybe. But I felt a pull towards you that day. Max said I always make things about myself."

Alec rolled his eyes. "For god sake. You'll believe something Max said instead of me?" Alec asked incredulously. "The girl you've practically only just met or the guy you've been sleeping with for the past three years?"

Logan grinned, "Well when you put it like that, how can I not believe you?"

*

"Are you okay?" Alec asked quietly. Logan was gazing out of the window absentmindedly. "Logan," Alec repeated, stepping closer to the brunette slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I killed him, Alec," Logan whispered, glancing at Alec out of the corner of his eye. "He was my friend and I got him killed."

"No, you didn't," Alec argued, crouching down next to Logan's chair. "You're a good man who believed that an orphaned daughter wanted to know what happened to her father. You couldn't have known that she had ulterior motives. You did the right thing, it was her that chose her fathers fate. Not you. Please don't blame yourself for what happened," Alec practically begged.

Logan smiled, tears shining in his hazel eyes, "Thank you," he whispered, running his fingers through Alec's hair. "What would I do without you?" he smiled.

Alec grinned and brought Logan's hand to his lips, kissing the back of his hand softly. "You'll never have to find out," he whispered, his brown eyes shining with love.


	7. 411 On The DL

Alec laughed and stepped into the elevator. "You need some help there gorgeous?" he grinned down at Logan.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Just press the goddamn button, smart ass." He swatted Alec on the ass, just to make his point clear.

Alec laughed again and complied, pressing the button for Logan's penthouse. He stopped laughing as the doors closed and Logan glared at him.

"There's someone in the living room for you," Bling told Logan as the pair of them arrived in the apartment. Logan glanced at Alec who rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. "She says she's your ex-wife," Bling said quietly and Logan had never felt more thankful that Alec had already left the room.

*

"Who was that?" Alec asked curiously after Valerie had left later that day.

"What?" Logan asked, breaking out of his thoughts. "Oh, that. That was… that was Valerie. She's just and old friend from college," he lied.

*

"Alec," Max asked, walking up to her fellow transgenic. "You couldn't lend me some cash could you?" she asked, sounding reluctant that she had to lower herself so low as to ask for a favour from Alec.

"Depends," Alec answered. "How much do you want?"

"I need three thousand dollars," Max whispered.

Alec laughed, "Three thousand? You think I have three grand lying around handy? Sorry Max but I'm tapped out until payday."

*

"You see that?" Max asked, thrusting the newspaper into Alec's hands.

"What?" Alec asked, glancing down at the paper. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" he asked. Max pointed to the correct column. "So? It's just a load of numbers," he shrugged.

"Read the numbers," Max instructed.

Alec did as he was told and his eyes widened, "Oh," he whispered. "What do you reckon it means?"

Max shrugged her shoulders, snatching the paper back, "But I'm sure as hell going to find out."

*

"I'm worried, Alec," Logan's voice filtered through Alec's cell.

"Max is a big girl, she can take care of herself," Alec replied.

"It's not Max I'm worried about. It's you and Jack I'm more concerned with. If someone got a hold of her barcode there's a very real chance that someone out there knows yours as well."

Alec smiled at Logan's concern. "It'll be fine," he assured his lover. "Me and Jack both keep our barcodes covered in public. We'll keep our heads down even more than normal, I promise."

*

"Valerie," Logan's voice was saying as Alec entered the apartment. "Yeah I was a little shocked, I wasn't expecting a call from my ex-wife right in the middle of a conversation with a friend. Yes, she's a female friend but she's not that kind of friend."

Logan turned around and saw Alec stood in the doorway, staring at him in horror with tears rolling down his face. "Val, I'm going to have to go," Logan said, before he put the phone down.

"Alec, please," Logan said, moving towards Alec, who took a step backwards. "I can explain."

Alec didn't say a word. He turned on his heel and practically ran out of the apartment and down to his motorcycle, letting the door bang loudly as it fell closed.

*

"Damn you, Logan Cale!" Alec shouted at no one in particular, picking a beer bottle up and tossing it across the room, watching as it sailed through the air and smashed against the opposite wall.

"What did that bottle ever do to you?" Jack's amused voice asked.

Alec turned to glare at him and the smile instantly disappeared from Jack's face when he saw the tears on his best friend's face. "God, Al," Jack breathed crossing the room in, quiet literally, a blur so that a second later he was wrapping his arms around Alec. "What happened?" he asked quietly, running his hands up and down Alec's back in an attempt to sooth the distraught transgenic.

"Logan," Alec cried, burying his head in the blond's shoulder. "Married."

"What?" Jack asked in surprise. "He's married?"

"Was," Alec told him.

Jack frowned. "Hang on a sec," he instructed. "If Logan was married but he's not now, what's got you so upset?"

"He didn't tell me, Jack," Alec retorted. "We've been seeing each other for three god damn years! I've told him everything about my past, but yet he couldn't tell me the small detail that he was married!" he shouted. The volume of Alec's voice didn't make Jack flinch at all; after living with the other man for over half his life, Alec's temper didn't frighten Jack anymore.

"Alec, you haven't told him everything about our past," Jack said softly. "What about all the things that they made us do? Logan doesn't know about all them. How did you find out about the ex?"

"She was at his apartment before," Alec whispered. "Then when I went to see him earlier he was on the phone with her," he spat out the pronoun.

"What did he say?" Jack asked.

"He said he could explain but I didn't give him chance to, I just got the hell out of there."

Before Jack could even roll his eyes at Alec's behaviour the telephone rang. Neither of them moved to answer it, instead letting it go through to the answering machine. "Hey Alec," Logan's voice said. "I know I'm the last person you want to hear from right now, but please, at least let me explain before you kill me. Call me back. Please. I love you."

"Looks like he wants to smooth things over, to me," Jack smirked.

"Or he could just be lying, he's good at that," Alec commented, scowling at the answering machine.

"He hasn't lied to you, Alec," Jack rolled his eyes. "He didn't tell you about her, but you never actually asked him if he was married, did you? Just talk to him, please," Jack practically begged.

"Why are you so adamant that I forgive him?" Alec demanded.

"Because whenever you go without seeing or speaking to him for longer than a few hours, you're cranky. Forgive me for trying to spare myself the agony of a cranky transgenic."

*

"You've got one chance to explain, Cale," Alec said, stepping into Logan's apartment. "And it had better be good."

Logan turned to face Alec, a slight look of relief on his face. "Alec," he whispered. "You came."

"Don't get your hopes up, Cale," Alec said, his facial expression not changing as he stalked past Logan into the sitting room. "I haven't forgiven you, this is your chance."

"I know," Logan agreed, stopping his wheelchair in front of where Alec was sitting on his couch. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Valerie before. But you have to understand something," Logan gently took Alec's hands in his own. He was half expecting Alec to pull his hands away and when he didn't he found himself slightly relieved; although when Alec didn't tighten his grip the relief faded a little bit. "Me and Valerie divorced years ago. When we were together we had the perfect marriage, except I wasn't attracted to her."

"If you weren't attracted to her, why did you ask her to marry you in the first place?" Alec asked quietly.

"My family were pushing at me from every angle, pressuring me into getting married and producing an heir to carry on the Cale line," Logan told him. "I knew that if my family found out that I wasn't interested in sleeping with her then I would loose my inheritance so I asked her to marry me. I was expecting her to say no so I wouldn't have to marry anyway. But she said yes, so I didn't have any choice but to marry her. Towards the end she started drinking a lot and it got so bad that we would have arguments for no reason, she said some pretty hurtful things to me when she was drunk. But part of me was glad things turned out that way because it gave me a legitimate reason to divorce her."

Alec wiped his cheek, wiping away the tears that he didn't know were there. "Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked quietly. "Didn't you trust me enough to let me know? Is that why?"

"God, no, Alec," Logan said, gripping Alec's hands tighter. "Of course I trust you. I didn't tell you about her because Valerie is in the past. My present and, hopefully, my future is with you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, can you forgive me?" he begged looking at Alec, his hazel eyes big and pleading.

Alec sighed, lowering his head, "I'm sorry I got so mad at you, but I felt betrayed, you know? You're the only person other than Jack that I told about who I really was and then to learn that you didn't trust me something like this, hurt me. The next time you feel like you have a secret that I won't like, just tell me and let me decide if I like it or not."

"I'm sorry," Logan repeated, tugging Alec forwards by his hands, "I promise, I won't keep anything else from you."

Alec smiled and pressed his face against Logan's shoulder, breathing in the older man's scent. "It's okay," he whispered, "I never really asked you that much about your past. I guess we're both to blame, eh?" he lifted his head and grinned at Logan.

Logan chuckled and pressed his lips against Alec's softly. Alec smiled against Logan's lips and threaded his fingers through the journalist's blond hair and deepened the kiss.


	8. Prodigy

"Why is it that these things come up when I take time off work so we can spend time together?" Alec grumbled, looking down at the ID card and credentials that were in his hands.

"Just bad luck, I guess," Logan commented from where he was sitting in front of his computer. "Look if you don't want to go, just pass them back and I'll change them so that Jack can go." He held his hand out to take them back off of Alec.

"I'll go," Alec argued, putting them in the inside pocket of his jacket. "But what I don't get is why you don't just go yourself."

"Because this guy might be able to stop your seizures," Logan told him dismissively.

"But if he can rearrange my molecular make-up, he might be able to do something about your stem cells. You might be able to walk again, Logan," Alec said grinning. "Why aren't you syked about this?"

Logan sighed and lowered his head. "Alec," he whispered, "I know you're only trying to help, but please could you just stop reminding me that I'm stuck in this damn chair for the rest of my godforsaken life? I'm trying to forget about it and get on with my life."

Alec smiled sadly and crossed the room. "I'm sorry," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of Logan's head. "I'll go to the conference," he agreed, flashing Logan a brilliant grin before letting himself out of the apartment.

*

Alec straightened his tie uncomfortably; he hated wearing suits at the best of times and the temperate of the room wasn't exactly the best for suit-wearing activities. He was sitting in a seat that was the perfect distance away from the stage; it was close enough so that he could see and hear properly and far enough away so that no one would pay too much attention to him.

He looked up when someone sat down next to him and as soon as he did he immediately wished he hadn't. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he moaned under his breath, slouching down further into his seat.

"Alec?" Max whispered, staring at him with a look of shock mingled with horror. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I could ask you the same question," Alec replied. "I'm going to kill Logan," he muttered to himself.

"You're here about the seizures?" Max asked quietly as she settled into her own seat.

"Yeah," Alec sighed, fiddling with his tie again. "Logan reckons that this guy can go something with all the fucked up chemicals in my brain and make me stop having them," he shrugged.

"Yeah, me too," Max nodded her head. The pair lapsed into silence for a few moments. "Have you noticed something weird with the way Logan's been acting lately?" she asked.

"What'd you mean?"

"Like, when I suggested to him the other day that he come he went all moody and defensive. Like I'd interrupted his own private pity party."

"Did you mention that this guy might be able to make him walk again?" Alec asked and Max nodded her head. "That's why. I told him that it make sense for him to come as well. He just doesn't like being reminded that something happened to him."

"But what I don't get is, why?" Max said. "I know that it wasn't a good thing that happened but surely if this guy's legit then the chair will be a thing of the past, won't it?"

Alec sighed, "Yeah, I know," he agreed. "But Logan's not thinking like that. He sees the chair as a weakness, he thinks it means that he's not as useful as Jack, me and you. He told me that he just wants to forget that something happened to him and get on with his life."

Before Max could continue their conversation a man stepped out onto the stage and the lecture began.

Alec looked up as some one addressed Max and he felt his heart leap into his throat. Even though it had been ten years since they had escaped from Manticore, Alec would recognise Colonel Donald Lydecker anywhere. And he was currently sat in the seat on the other side of Max; by the look on the young woman's face she also recognised him.

"We have to get out of here, Max," Alec hissed in Max's ear as they exited the lecture room.

"We can't leave in the middle," Max whispered back. "It'd look suspicious."

"I don't care," Alec retorted just as they bumped into Lydecker himself.

"You aren't leaving so soon are you?" Lydecker questioned, looking between the pair of them. "You can't possibly have gotten your story."

"Erm, no, we're not leaving," Max agreed, "just need a breather," she added before Lydecker introduced himself. Max smiled and introduced herself and Alec with the credentials and fake names Logan had provided them with.

Alec could tell that Lydecker was suspicious about where they came from when he mentioned that he hadn't heard of the magazine they were reporting for. "Excuse us," Alec said, smiling politely at Lydecker as he grabbed Max by the arm. "It was nice meeting you," he lied, dragging the brunette away.

"We're in trouble," Alec whispered when he and Max were a safe distance away.

"Oh yeah," Max agreed, much to Alec's surprise before they parted.

*

Alec sat in the back of the hall and watched as Max walked across the room and sat down next to Lydecker and actually started a conversation with him. He shook his head in amazement, wondering what on Earth had gotten into her.

Alec sensed them pulling out their weapons at about the same time that Max did. Neither of them had chance to do anything to stop anything from happening and even if they did have the chance, both knew it was too risky to expose themselves, especially when Lydecker was in the same room.

Alec kept one eye on what was happening at the front of the room and the other one what Lydecker was doing. He knew things were going to get ugly fast when Lydecker pulled the fire alarm. Forcing the men with the guns to remain in the room, they then took it one step further and sealed off the floor; they were holding everyone hostage.

As Alec managed to weave his way in and out of people and crouch down on the floor next to Max and a friend Alec hadn't met, he was grateful that he had attended instead of Logan.

*

Logan sighed as the ringing phone kept doing precisely that, ringing. "Come on, Jack," he muttered to himself, willing the blond transgenic to answer the phone. "Pick up."

"You're on the air with Jack," Jack's cheerful voice chirped through the line.

"Jack, it's me," Logan said by way of introduction.

"Oh, hey, Logan," Jack replied and Logan could almost hear the grin. "What can I get you?"

"Can you see the news?" Logan asked, ignoring Jack's question.

"Negative," Jack answered.

"People are being held hostage at The Steinlitz Hotel," Logan said, running hand through his hair.

"What?" Jack asked, dropping the cheerfulness. "Isn't that where Alec is?"

Logan nodded his head, even though he knew that Jack couldn't see him, "Max is there as well."

"Logan, no offence," Jack sighed, "I know she's your friend and all, but I really don't care that she's in there. Alec could be in trouble and he's the only person in there that I care about."

"And you know I care about him far more than I care about Max, but you're right, she is my friend. We need to do something to get them both out of there."

"Meet you in ten minutes?" Jack suggested. Logan agreed before severing the connection with a sigh.

*

Alec sighed silently and glanced down at his watch. It hadn't been that long since they had been taken hostage in the hotel. He knew that it wouldn't be long before the press got wind of what was going on, if they didn't know already. And when the press knew, Logan would know and hopefully the hazel eyed man would come to get him out; preferably bringing Jack along for back up.

Alec found himself flinching as their capture reached past him and grabbed the Chinese man sat in the row of chairs behind him; he wouldn't admit it but he had thought that he was going to be the first hostage to die.

"They're just kidding. They wouldn't really kill him, right?" Max's friend asked.

"Of course they will," Alec retorted. "They need to prove to people that they mean business. Killing people means business."

"So basically we're screwed?" the blonde asked.

"Pretty much," Max agreed.

*

Jack and Logan looked at each other in surprise. "Ok," Jack said, "that's gross."

Logan rolled his eyes and looked up at Bling who had accompanied them. "Al and Max are in serious trouble," he stated.

Jack found himself smirking at the Sector police as they tried to stop them from passing through the barricades. He almost laughed out loud when Matt Sung told them to lower their weapons and let the trio pass through. It was good to have friends in high places, he mused as he watched Logan and Matt's interaction.

Somehow Logan managed to get the Military to let him talk to Darius or whatever his name was. Jack just hoped that Logan managed to talk sense into the guy before he lost his best friend.

*

Both Max and Alec's heads snapped up at the mention of Logan's name. "It can't be," Max whispered in Alec's ear.

"How many other Logan Cale's are there in the world?" Alec whispered back, hushing her so that he could listen to the conversation.

'What is releasing the women and child going to do me?' Alec wondered as he listened. The logical part of Alec's brain was telling him that releasing the women made more sense than the men; the hostages would think that the women would pose less of a threat outside than the men. But the rest of Alec's brain, the one that controlled the jealous part of him, told him that he was stupid and that Logan was only there to save Max and not him. He swallowed and pushed those feelings aside, he knew that Logan was there for them both and not just Max, they would both get out of this together if Logan had anything to do with it. Alec just hoped that Logan could work his Eyes Only magic.

*

"Come on, Max," Alec hissed in her ear just as Lydecker was struck for being out of his seat. "Don't aggravate him. You know what he's capable of."

"Shut up," Max hissed back as Lydecker resumed their conversation and all Alec could do was listen helplessly.

Alec and Max both heard the guy demand to speak to Logan again and they listened carefully to what was being said.

Alec's heart went into his mouth as he heard Darius tell Logan to come into the building on the condition that he releases the women. Max looked back at him in horror, it looked like they were both having the same thought.

*

"What?" Jack said, pushing past Matt and crouching down next to Logan. "Logan, you can't go in there. Something could happen to you."

"I don't have a choice, Jack," Logan replied.

"Then at least let me go in as you," Jack practically pleaded.

"This guy has already seen me," Logan argued. "I need to see if Alec is okay," he whispered.

"Getting yourself killed isn't going to make things any better."

"There's no other way, Jack," he told the blond. "Darius knows what I look like, we've met in the past."

"I'm going on the record as not liking this," Jack scowled, knowing that there was no point in arguing with Logan once he had his mind made up.

"Duly noted," Logan replied, smiling back at him slightly.

Jack watched helplessly as Logan was escorted into the hotel by one of the guards. He hoped that Alec wouldn't kill him for letting Logan do something so stupid when all this was over.

*

Alec and Max shared knowing looks as the woman was escorted out of the room. Alec knew that there was no way Max was going to sit back and let something bad happen to the boy.

He froze when he saw Logan being followed into the room by a guard. Logan shook his head slightly as he got near Alec, indicating for Alec not to acknowledge Logan's presence. Alec nodded his own head slightly, letting Logan know what the transgenic understood.

It was most of Alec's self restraint not to pull Logan away from Lydecker when he saw the Colonel talking to his lover. He knew that Lydecker wouldn't do anything to Logan in public but he didn't want them to have anything to do with each other; to protect Logan.

*

Jack bit his lip, standing on his tiptoes as he tried to look for Max in the group of women that were exiting the building. "I should have known," he muttered to himself.

"You see her?" Bling asked, trying to spot Max as well.

"Nope," Jack answered, "she's probably gone back inside to try and rescue Logan and everyone else," he sighed.

*

Alec nearly jumped up to try and stop them from touching Logan but the person next to him placed a hand on his arm, stopping him from getting up. "It's too dangerous," the man whispered as Logan was taken away.

*

Jack gasped in horror as someone was thrown off of the building. His enhanced vision could easily make out Logan's features as he fell through the air. Then to everyone's amazement someone else jumped off of the building after him and Jack sighed with relief; it was Max, hopefully she would be able to catch Logan before anything went even more wrong.

He found himself grinning insanely and he even had to restrain himself from jumping up and down when he saw Max grab hold of Logan and the pair of them went crashing through a window; hopefully there was something comfortable on the other side.

*

"Finally," Alec said, jogging alongside Max as they went after Darius, who had taken the kid with him. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, well, I had to save your friend from being thrown off a building," Max shrugged.

"You managed to stop them?" Alec breathed in relief.

"No," Max disagreed. "I just managed to catch him and we crashed through a window. He's fine."

"Thanks Max," Alec whispered, genuinely grateful.

"No problem," she shrugged again. "Now help me save this kid."

As Max distracted Darius Alec stepped up behind him quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck, knocking him out instantly. "That was easy," Alec commented as Max stepped up to the boy. "Lets get out of here before Lydecker wakes up and takes us with him," he urged.

Max nodded her head and they exited the room as quickly as they could.

*

Alec sighed in relief as he curled further into Logan's arms as they sat on the couch. "This do-gooder attitude of yours frightens me to death," he admitted. "When they took you up to the roof I was so scared I was never going to see you again."

"I was scared as well," Logan whispered, kissing Alec gently on the top of the head. "And you know that someone has to be the good guy in this world."

"But can't you just be the good guy from a computer and television screen?" Alec pleaded.

Logan laughed and ran his hand through Alec's hair. "You know that's not who I am. It never has been."

Alec sighed, "I know," he reluctantly admitted. "And it terrifies me."


	9. Cold Comfort

Sketchy looked around hopelessly as Normal made him wear the new safety vest that they were supposed to wear. His eyes landed on Alec, silently pleading for help from his friend. Alec laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, mate," he chuckled as his pager beeped, "you're on your own."

Alec pulled out his cell phone and made sure that he was a safe distance away from Max before dialling Logan's number. "It's me," Alec introduced himself.

"What time do you get off work?" Logan asked.

Alec looked at his watch, calculating how long it would be. "In about an hour," he answered.

"Do you want to come over or have you got plans with Jack?" Logan questioned.

Alec grinned and agreed that he would head over to Logan's after work.

*

Alec moaned into Logan's mouth as the older man's ran down Alec's chest before pushing up underneath his t-shirt. Alec arched into Logan's touch as he fingers moved upwards towards the transgenic nipples. Alec moaned again when Logan took one in between his forefinger and thumb, giving it a hard tweak.

Suddenly, without warning, Alec pulled away from Logan and stood up, straightening his t-shirt and running a hand through his hair. "Alec?" Logan asked in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Alec smiled down him as he stepped over to the window. "There's someone here," he informed Logan.

"Thank god for transgenic senses," Logan muttered, putting his glasses back on and straightening his shirt as his apartment door opened.

Alec turned around from the window and he was sure he felt his jaw drop as he saw Max standing in the doorway with a tall blond. Even though it had been so long since they had all escaped from Manticore Alec would recognise his brothers and sisters easily. The man standing in front of him was…

"Zack?" he asked in surprise.

The blond turned to look at Alec and a look of recognition immediately dawned on his face. "Alec?" he asked, before he pulled Alec into a brotherly hug.

Alec felt like smirking at Max when Zack recognised him as himself not as Ben, but he stopped himself. "What are you doing here?" Alec asked.

"There's trouble," Zack said, crossing the room and sitting on Logan's couch. "Lydecker's got Brin."

"What?" both Alec and Logan chorused at the same time. Logan knew that, while Alec didn't share Max's enthusiasm for finding their siblings, he did care about what happened to them.

"Who are you?" Zack asked, looking at Logan in confusion.

"Zack," Alec said, "this is my best friend Logan Cale. He's been taking care of me and Jack since we arrived in Seattle."

"Jack?" Zack repeated and Alec nodded his head. "Thank you," Zack said to Logan. Alec smiled, he knew that Zack was being sincere about what he was saying. He knew that there was nothing Zack took more seriously than his unit and the safety of them.

"Excuse me," Max's voice interrupted. "I hate to break up this little reunion but do you think we can get back to the situation with Lydecker?"

*

"I don't like this," Logan whispered, wrapping his arms around his lover and pulling him closer. "It's too dangerous."

"I'll be okay," Alec replied, trying to reassure his lover. "It'll be a quick in and out kind of thing."

"You know that's not true," Logan argued. "Don't go. Let them do it on their own."

Alec smiled and kissed Logan's cheek softly. "You know I have to. I might not be as obsessive compulsive about them as Max is but Brin is family and I need to help."

"Have you told Jack about this?" Logan asked, knowing that he wasn't going to win the argument with Alec. Once the transgenic had made his mind up, there was usually no changing it for anything.

Alec shook his head. "He'd just try to talk me out of it. He's like you, seems to think that I get into trouble a lot."

Logan snorted with laughter. "I wonder what gave him that idea," he wondered out loud, causing Alec to laugh and kiss him gently, silently showing Logan how much he loved him.

*

Alec was sitting in the passenger seat of Lydecker's SUV when Max attacked Lydecker and tossed him in the backseat. "You think he'll wake up before we get there?" Alec asked as Max started the car and drove away, Zack tailing them on Max's motorcycle.

"If he knows what's good for him, he won't," she commented, reaching back and hitting Lydecker for good measure.

"What were you thinking?" Zack demanded of Max when they arrived at the warehouse. "This is not part of the plan."

Alec rolled his eyes. Even after all this time the blond was still obsessed with planning and sticking to that plan "Guys," he interrupted, "who cares about this not being the plan? We've got him here, haven't we? Can we just get what we need to know out of him and go home, because unlike some losers," he tossed a look in Max's direction, "I have a date tonight," he smirked, flicking a piece of imaginary lint off of his leather jacket.

As Alec watched the pair of them try to beat the information out of Lydecker, he couldn't help wondering if Logan had been right. Alec wasn't even sure why he was here now, it was obvious that neither of his fellow transgenic needed him right then. "Guys," he interrupted, stepping up to the pair of them. "I don't think beating him isn't going to make him tell us what we need to know."

Lydecker smirked as they stopped hitting him. "I recognize you now. It may have been a while but a father can always recognise his children."

"You're not our father," Max snarled hitting Lydecker with the back of her hand.

Lydecker grinned and spat the blood from his mouth onto the floor. "You always did have a fiery temper, didn't you, Max?" he asked. Lydecker turned his head in the direction of Zack. "And you, you always were a good leader. Always sticking to the plan and always questioning people's motives." Lydecker turned his head towards Alec and frowned. "You, however," he said. "I'm having the most trouble with. You're either 493 or 494. Ben or Alec, I think you called yourselves."

"Shut up," Alec snapped, hitting Lydecker himself. "Just get what you need out of him and get rid of him," he said before he stalked across the room.

*

Jack frowned, Logan was biting his nails. Logan never bit his nails. It was a habit Alec had managed to rid the older man of, thank goodness. He only did it now when he was nervous. "Logan?" Jack said, opening Logan's refrigerator and pulling out a can of soda. "What's wrong?"

"What?" Logan asked snapping out of his thoughts and glancing up at Jack. "Oh, nothing."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Logan, don't lie to me. You're biting your nails." This was enough of an explanation of what Jack meant and Logan frowned, pulling his hand away from his mouth. "Where's Alec?" he asked, realising that he hadn't seen his best friend all day.

"He's…" Logan started to say before he shook his head. "He's at work."

"Jam Pony closed half an hour ago," Jack argued. "Where is he?" he practically demanded of Logan, knowing that the other man was hiding something from him.

Logan sighed and lowered his head. "Alec, Max and Zack have gone to get information out of him about where Brin is," he confessed to the blond.

Jack dropped the soda can in surprise. "What?" he demanded. "Oh shit," he cursed, noticing that there was soda all over the floor. "And you just let him go off with them two and more than likely get himself into trouble?"

Logan glared at Jack. "You know what Al is like once he decides to do something."

"Yeah," Jack sighed, nodding his head, "there's no changing his mind about it. I swear, he's so stupid sometimes. Anyone would think he's the blond one in our friendship."

*

"You're the pair from the conference aren't you?" Lydecker asked after Zack had left Alec and Max in the warehouse with them. Max didn't answer him, she just continued to glare at them. "I remember you now. You've both grown up a lot," Lydecker commented, looking at them and taking in their features now that Max had taken his blindfold off. "I didn't even recognise you."

"Just shut up," Alec said, rolling his eyes and kicking his foot lightly against Lydecker.

*

"Just for the record this is not the smartest idea you've had," Alec muttered to Max out of the corner of his mouth.

"Do you have a better idea?" Max replied.

"No," Alec admitted reluctantly. "I was just letting you know that this was a bad idea."

"I've got a deal to make," Lydecker was saying to a guy who was surrounded by soldiers

"I'm listening," the guy said, folding his arms across his chest.

"You have one of my kids," Lydecker continued. "I want to trade you. Three X5's for one," he offered.

"What?" Alec exclaimed, as their hands were grabbed by soldiers and bound behind their backs.

"You bastard!" Max cried at Lydecker as her, Zack and Alec were lead away.

*

"Told you we shouldn't have trusted him!" Alec said as he was tossed into his own cell. Zack was opposite him and Max was in the cell next to him.

"Fine!" Max snapped. "You were right, okay? This is all my fault. Are you happy now?"

Alec smirked and shrugged his shoulders, "Getting there."

"Guys?" Zack said softly, interrupting their argument. They broke of their conversation and turned to where Zack was pointing.

Alec watched in silence as Max talked with Brin, trying to assure her that they would get out there soon. He sighed silently and make his way over to the bunks that were in the cell. He jumped up onto the top bunk and put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling above him trying to drown out the sound of Lydecker and Sanders conversing. He snorted with laughter when he heard Lydecker warn the guards not to get two close to the bars.

Alec turned his head when Lydecker and Sanders disappeared. "Don't worry about me guys," he said to the two guards who were staring at him silently. "I can't be bothered moving," he added. He rolled his eyes when the guards didn't even blink at him. "Never mind," he muttered, turning his gaze towards Max's cell. "No!" he and Zack cried simultaneously when they saw that Max was hanging from the ceiling with her binds around her neck.

They both watched helplessly as the guards fumbled with the keys, trying to get the door to Max's cell open. Alec chuckled when Max set about knocking the guards out, he should have known that Max would have something up her sleeve. Max unlocked Zack's cell before unlocking the door to Alec's. "Grab Brin," Zack instructed Max as he and Alec grabbed the unconscious guard's guns. "We'll provide cover," he added. Alec nodded his head in agreement before they slowly made their way through the corridors.

Max had a communicator in her hand that she had grabbed from one of the guards. They could all hear Lydecker taunting them about doing what they were trained to do. It made Alec sick to his stomach as he listened to Lydecker's voice.

Before they knew it they were all sitting in the SUV they had stolen from the parking lot. Max sitting in the back with Brin's head cradled in her lap. Alec was sitting in the front with Zack when Lydecker's voice reminded them that there was no way regular hospitals would be able to save her.

Alec closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away. All of them knew what they had to do.

*

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jack demanded, jumping up off of the couch as soon as Alec arrived back at Logan's after him and Max had parted ways.

"Jack, please," Alec sighed running his hand over his face, "not today," he begged.

Jack opened his mouth to yell at Alec, who was heading in the direction of Logan's bedroom but Logan rested a hand on Jack's arm. "Jack," he said softly, his eyes following Alec's movements. "Leave it for tonight. Why don't you get some rest?" he suggested indicating to Logan's couch.

Jack scowled but nodded his head, tossing a glare towards Alec who knew that their conversation was nowhere near over.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked as Alec threw himself down on the bed.

Alec shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Can you… just hold me. Please?" he begged.

Logan smiled as he transferred himself from the chair to the bed and Alec curled into his side, crying into his chest. "Just go to sleep," he whispered, running his hand down Alec's back. "We'll talk in the morning."


	10. Blah Blah Woof Woof

"Alec am I boring?" Logan asked Alec out of the blue.

Alec frowned. "What?" he asked down his cell phone in surprise. "You really do come out with strange things sometimes."

"I just wondered," Logan said. "Max said that all I do is think about saving the world." Alec rolled his eyes at Logan's antics. Logan groaned quietly, so quiet that Alec almost missed it. "Are you okay?" Alec asked in concern.

"Yeah," Logan groaned unconvincingly. "Just got a bit of back ache, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

Alec frowned, not believing Logan at all. "Get some rest," he instructed. "Rest your back, don't strain yourself."

"Yes, mom," Logan replied, putting the phone down.

There was a loud bang from the opposite side of the room and Alec looked up to see Max pinning Jon, another Jam Pony employee, against the lockers. And not in a good way, Alec observed when Max's knee collided with Jon's groin. "Man," Alec said, patting Jon on the shoulder as he passed, "I could have told you that looking at her can lead to nothing but pain."

He smirked at Max before turning on his heel and grabbing a package as Max headed towards him, a menacing look on her face.

*

"Have you told Alec about this?" Bling asked Logan as the journalist did his usual exercises.

Logan laughed and shook his head. "No way," he retorted. "This surgery's going to be dangerous. I don't want to worry him."

"He should know that you're going in," Bling said gently, placing a hand on Logan's shoulder. "He's your friend. I've seen how close you two are. I think he deserves to know."

"I just can't tell him," Logan admitted. "I haven't told Jack either. If I did, it would only be a matter of time before Alec found out."

*

Logan kept his eyes on the door, he knew that Alec and Zack were on the other side talking with each other and he didn't want Alec to come in and catch Logan taking painkillers. He knew that the younger man would just worry about him and Alec had enough things to worry about, he didn't need to have something like Logan's problems to think about as well.

Logan went back into the sitting room where Zack was holding up a piece of paper. "What's that?" he asked curiously.

Alec took it off of him and turned it around so that Logan could see it. "Max has a wanted poster," he informed Logan.

"That can't be good," Logan replied.

Zack rolled his eyes as if to say 'well duh'. "I can't let her take the rap for something I did," Zack said. "She'll have probably been spotted by now."

"We need to do something about this," Logan decided. Zack and Alec nodded their heads before all three of them headed out of the apartment.

*

"Is he really going to be able to help?" Zack asked when Logan severed the connection with Matt.

"He's good at stuff like that," Alec answered as the sector cop let their car past.

Logan turned to Zack, who was getting ready to get out of the car. "Good luck," he said.

"There's no such thing as good luck," Zack replied, getting out of the car.

Alec rolled his eyes and patted Logan on the shoulder. "Thanks," he replied. "I'll be careful," he added before Logan could even open his mouth.

Alec and Zack quickly made their way across the market, trying their hardest to blend in with the crowd and not look too suspicious.

"We'd best make this fast," Alec said, standing watch over Zack as the blond constructed a device that propel a rope across the market.

"That was too easy," Alec commented as him and Zack got back into Logan's car.

"Don't say that," Logan said, looking at him in the rear view mirror. "When someone says that everything immediately goes wrong. Everything all set then?" he asked.

"Would we have come back if everything wasn't?" Zack replied.

Logan rolled his eyes as Zack clambered into the back seat with Alec. "It's a figure of speech," he muttered.

Alec watched out of the back window of the car as the sector police noticed Max, running through one of the buildings, ducking gunfire.

Max swung through the air and landed on the roof of the bus that had just arrived. Logan backed the car up and they all jumped out of their skin when Max landed on the hood. "Ouch!" Alec complained as Logan tore out of the market at full speed, causing the transgenic to move around in his seat and hit his head on the window.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" Max asked, turning in her seat slightly to look at him.

Alec just glared at her and stuck his middle finger up.

*

Alec listened as Max asked if Logan was okay. He had to admit that she was right. He didn't look well. In fact, he looked kind of pale and worn out. He listened to Logan's excuse that he was up later and knew that Max didn't buy it. Alec didn't either. Something was wrong with his lover, he knew it.

The ride to the cabin was filled with, what could only be classed as, uncomfortable silence. None of them knew what to say to each other, so they all opted for silence.

'Sad?' Alec repeated in his mind when Max commented on the music. 'Boring's more like it. Give me the rock that Jack listens to anyday.'

Alec climbed out of the car with Zack when they arrived at the cabin. "Are you sure you won't come with us?" Zack asked, turning to face his brother.

"Positive," Alec replied. "My life's in Seattle," he glanced at Logan who was still in the car talking with Max.

"If you ever change your mind," Zack said, pulling Alec into a large hug.

He watched as Max paused at the drivers side window. "Not a good idea, Max," he heard Logan whisper.

"Right," Max nodded her head, turning and walking past Alec into the cabin.

"Now do you believe me?" Alec asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Drop it," Logan replied, rolling his eyes as he started the car again.

*

Alec was wondering if he was going to have a job when he got back. Ever since Max had appeared Alec had been taking more and more time off to help Logan out and he was surprised that Normal hadn't said anything.

After work he headed over to Logan's to see if the older man was okay. Ever since Max had mentioned that Logan didn't look too well, the transgenic had been worried about Logan.

"Get this surgery over with, maybe you can go join Max," Alec overheard Bling saying to Logan when he arrived at the apartment.  
Unable to stop himself, Alec repeated. "Surgery?"

Both Bling and Logan turned to look at him. "Sorry," Bling said apologetically, heading into a different room.

"What was he talking about?" Alec demanded of Logan.

"I'm… I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow," Logan admitted, sighing. "I know you're mad at me for not telling you," Logan interrupted Alec when the other man opened his mouth. "But I didn't want to worry you. It's just a routine procedure."

"Logan, you would not look so worried about a routine procedure," Alec argued. "And you would have told me about something that wasn't major." Logan sighed and yawned. "Look, don't argue with me," Alec instructed. "If this is as a big a surgery as it seems like it. You're going to get some sleep and I'll bitch about the fact that you didn't tell me afterwards."

*

"Alec!" Bling shouted while the transgenic was getting dressed after his shower. Alec had spent the night and had woken up the sound of the door opening, signalling Bling's arrival. If Bling knew that Alec hadn't spent the night on Logan's couch the dark skinned man didn't say a word to Alec about it.

"Yeah?" Alec called, walking out of the bedroom towel drying his hair. "Logan!" he breathed, dropping the towel and rushing over to where Logan was slumped over the counter top.

"He's still breathing," Bling said thankfully, checking for a pulse. "We need to get him to the hospital."

Alec sat next to Bling as the doctor's operated on Logan. He felt awful, knowing that there was nothing he could do to help his lover, all he could do was sit and wait. Something Alec had never been any good at.

"Hey," Jack greeted, walking into the waiting room carrying a soda in his hand for Alec. "You heard anything yet?" he asked, handing the can to his best friend.

"Nothing," Alec replied shaking his head as Bling started ringing.

"Excuse me," Bling said walking away from them and pulling out Logan's cell phone.

"What's the betting that that's Max?" Alec asked. "I bet she's already on her way here," he sighed. He should have known that her leaving them alone was too good to be true.

*

"She always acts first and thinks later," Alec rolled his eyes. Him and Jack were sat next to Logan's bedside.

"But if she hadn't have done you'd have been in trouble," Jack told Logan as the blond transgenic ate the hospital jello that had been with Logan's meal.

"Yeah, Alec," Logan agreed, "it was a good thing that she did for me."

"Well don't expect me to thank her for it anytime soon," Alec scowled. "How can you eat that crap?" he asked, looking at Jack who was now prodding at the suspicious looking goo that was lying on the food tray.

"I'm not," Jack disagreed. "Even I draw the line at eating gloop," he commented, putting the fork down and reaching into his pocket and pulling out a candy bar. "What?" he asked when Logan and Alec started laughing.

"Nothing," Alec said, shaking his head, an affectionate smile on his face.


	11. Out

"Lilacs?" Alec repeated. "What were you doing that close to Normal?" he shuddered.

Herbal rolled his eyes, "Getting a package, man," he replied.

"He's leaving work early, as well," Original Cindy added.

Sketchy and Alec looked at each other in surprise. "Okay, that's weird," Alec stated.

"Yeah, Normal never leaves work early," Sketchy agreed as Max joined them.

"Why is it guys are all so task-orientated?" she demanded of them. "I mean, it's work, work, work, work, work."

"Because otherwise all we'd think about is sex, sex, sex, sex, sex," Sketchy informed her.

Alec laughed and patting Sketchy on the shoulder. "Good one, Sketch," he complimented.

"Why do you reckon Normal's acting so…" Herbal trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

"Normal?" Alec suggested.

"Maybe he has a date," Sketchy wondered out loud.

"Now, that's just a bizarre thought - Normal getting busy with someone," Original Cindy said, a shudder running through her.

"Yeah," Alec said, "it's almost a bizarre as Max getting busy with someone," he added, scowling at Max when his comment earned him an elbow in the stomach.

"Come on," Original Cindy said, taking Max by the arm, "let's go check it out."

Max nodded her head, glaring at Alec one last time before heading over to Normal. "Isn't Max seeing someone?" Sketchy said, looking between Herbal and Alec.

"Who?" Alec asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Herbal added, "there's that guy who's popped by a couple of times. The guy with the glasses."

Alec almost growled when he realised that they meant Logan. "Trust me," he told them, "they are not seeing each other."

"And how would you know?" Sketchy demanded of him and Alec found himself cursing his own jealousy.

"Because he's one of my best friends, so I think I would know," Alec informed them, slamming his locker closed and heading out to make a delivery.

"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Sketchy mused and Herbal just shrugged his shoulders.

*

"I heard what Bling said earlier," Alec commented, pulling a salad bowl out of Logan's cupboard.

"You mean the bit where he threatened to beat my ass?" Logan asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Pass me the-,"

Alec reached over and passed him the knife before Logan had even finished saying it. "That and what he said before," Alec agreed. "He's right. Wallowing in self pity is not going to help yourself. Before you start snapping at me and biting my head off, just hear me out," Alec added as Logan turned to glare at him. "You're legs don't work right now. Big deal. It isn't the end of the world. I know it might seem like it," he added, crouching down so that he was eye level with Logan, "but medicine isn't the same as it was twenty years ago. Doctors might still be able to find a way to repair the stem cells. You just have to have faith that you'll be okay. You do know that this," he patted his hands against the chair, "doesn't change the way I feel about you, don't you?" he asked. Logan nodded his head, tears in his eyes. "Then please stop with the pity party. For me?" he asked.

Logan smiled and kissed Alec on the lips. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "This is just hard, you know? I'm not a patient person and me fully recovering all depends on me being patient." Alec just smiled and deepened their kiss before getting up and continuing with preparing dinner.

*

"He actually had a date?" Alec whispered to Original Cindy.

Original Cindy rolled her eyes and hushed him. "Stop being mean," she told him. "She's making him a nicer person and that's something."

"But nice Normal's weird," Alec scowled. "It scares me." Original Cindy just laughed as shook her head and she headed away from Alec.

*

"I told you that no sane person would want to date Normal," Alec said as Original Cindy finished informing them about what she found in Louise Klein's purse. "You had a human finger?" Alec asked in amazement turning to Sketchy.

Sketchy nodded his head. "It was cool, like the guy just opened the box and it was there."

"Do you reckon who it belonged to was dead or alive?" Alec asked, genuinely interested.

Max rolled her eyes. "Men," she muttered pulling Original Cindy away from the bar, leaving Alec and Sketchy to talk in peace.

*

Alec looked up when Max came running back into Crash. "I thought you left," Alec said, sipping his beer.

"I need to talk to you," she said, grabbing hold of Alec's arm and pulling the transgenic away from the others before he had chance to even think about arguing with her.

"What the Hell's wrong?" Alec demanded.

"I just called Logan to tell him that I know what our newest bad guy is up to and Bling answered," Max started.

"Yeah, so?" Alec asked, pulling his arm out of her grip.

"He told me that Logan's been kidnapped," Max finished.

"What?" Alec exclaimed. "And people say that I get into a lot of trouble," he muttered. "I hope you brought your bike with you, cause I didn't," he said, following her up onto the street.

"Get on," Max instructed.

"Where exactly are we heading?" Alec asked as Max sped through the streets.

"Logan's," Max answered.

*

"We're making it up as we go along?" Jack repeated as he watched Max type something into the computer. "Isn't that a bit risky?" he asked, looking at Alec.

Alec shrugged his shoulders, "As much as I hate to admit it," he said, "it usually works for her."

He was glad they had arrived just before Bling had deleted the files like Logan told him to. Logan had given both Alec, Jack and Bling the codes to his computer. He knew that all three of them could be trusted with them and Alec had hoped that he would never have to use it.

"Cool," Jack said in awe as he watched Max speak into the mike that was changing her voice to Logan's. "That's very cool."

*

"Here's how it is," Max whispered, as she got off her motorcycle.

"Normally I would complain about taking orders from you," Alec said, getting off his own.

"But you're not," Jack interrupted, climbing off Alec's bike as well.

"I'll go in this way," Max pointed to a nearby entrance. "Alec, you go around the front. Jack, go around the back."

Alec nodded his head, tossing a glare in Jack's direction for cutting him off as he made his way around the front of the building.

He was surprised that there were no guards at the entrance. He assumed that the majority of this guy's people had been sent to where they thought Eyes Only was. But he wasn't stupid enough to think that there weren't some inside. All three of them reacted at the same time; when the orders were given to execute Matt and Logan.

Max sung in from where she was hiding, taking out two of the guards. One jumped up from the desk, but Jack easily took care of him. Alec stepped up to Logan and was about to remove gag when he heard two thugs come up behind him and reacted immediately. He used his transgenic speed to get behind them and two seconds later they were both unconscious on the floor.

"Where did she go?" Jack asked, jogging up to Alec.

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows what goes on in her head?" Alec replied, moving back over to Logan. "This might hurt," he warned his lover, who nodded his head and closed his eyes.

Alec quickly ripped off the tape. "Fuck!" Logan exclaimed, running his hand over his mouth once Alec had undone his binds. "Max is probably trying to stop the plane," Logan told them while Jack checked Matt's pulse. "Is he okay?"

"He's still alive," Jack assured him. "We need to get you out of here," he told the journalist.

"I agree," Alec said, "no arguing with me," he instructed Logan when the other man opened his mouth. "You think you'll be okay with him?" he asked Jack, indicating to Matt.

The blond nodded his head and easily throwing Matt over his shoulder. Alec smiled at Logan as he put one hand behind the hazel eyed man's back and the other behind his legs. "Does this make you my damsel in distress?" Alec said.

Logan glared at him. "You know if I could kick you right now, I would. Hard," he warned Alec as they arrived at their motorcycles.

"Oops," Jack said, placing Matt gently on the ground. "Looks like we didn't think this through completely."

"Yeah," Alec agreed, setting Logan down carefully before sitting on the ground next to him. "We'll just wait for Max. No doubt she'll have some ingenious plan up her sleeve."

"Probably," Logan agreed. "Thank you for saving me," he said, kissing Alec softly when he saw that there was no one around.

"Ewww," Jack scowled, putting a hand over his eyes. "Warn people before you do that."


	12. Red

Logan stared at the phone after his conversation with Max.

"You look confused," Alec commented from where he was laying on Logan's couch.

"Max is taking a bath," Logan replied.

"Stop the press! Front page news!" Alec rolled his eyes. "So what? It's not a crime."

"I never figured her for the bath taking type," Logan said, replacing the receiver. "She seems like the type of person to take showers; they're quicker with no messing around."

"You clearly haven't taken a bath just to relax have you?" Alec said, getting up and crossing the room. "Given the right candles and scented bubbles they can be very sensuous." Logan moaned when Alec ran a hand up his thigh. "Albeit a bit girly," Alec added with a grin.

*

Alec watched silently as Max arrived with a blindfolded man. He stifled a laugh when the guy walked into the door.

"You don't expect me to baby-sit this dirt bag?" Max demanded of Logan.

"Not just you," Logan said, turning his gaze towards Alec.

"You're kidding me, right?" Alec rolled his eyes. "You do know I'll try to kill him, don't you?"

"Not if I kill you first," Max glared.

"Guys," Logan interrupted, "he's the one that put me in this chair. If I can wrap my head around it, so can the pair of you," he snapped. Both Max and Alec lowered their gaze's in mild embarrassment.

"Some spending money," Logan said, handing Max an envelope.

"Ooh," Alec grinned, taking it off of Logan and looking at the contents.

"Be good," Logan instructed him firmly.

"I'm always good," Alec assured him, causing the older man to roll his eyes.

*

"Do you ever stop talking?" Alec asked as they manpowered their way through the corridors of the hotel.

"Are you and this Logan character working together," Bruno asked Max, "or…"

Alec slapped Bruno on the back of the head. "Shut up," he instructed as Max opened the door.

"Oh, no. This is not working for me," Bruno said as soon as he entered the room.

"Yeah, me neither," Alec agreed. "There's only one bed."

"There's no TV. There's isn't even a stereo," Bruno said, ignoring Alec. "What about food?"

"Yeah, I agreed with him there," Alec looked at Max. "I am kind of hungry."

"You're taking me to a nice restaurant," Bruno told Max.

"You're staying put," Max snapped.

"Not in this dump I'm not," Bruno argued, trying to make a break for it.

Max and Alec both shoved him down onto the chair. "Yes, you are," Alec retorted.

"One way to keep him here," Max said to Alec, seconds before Bruno found himself handcuffed to the radiator.

"What do you want on your pizza?" Max questioned of Bruno before her and Alec left the room.

"Should we really leave him alone?" Alec asked in concern.

"It's not like he's going anywhere," Max shrugged.

*

"I gotta say," Alec said, "wasn't expecting that," he indicated to the dancers that were currently giving Bruno a private session.

"I'll get you a lap dance each if you want," Bruno offered, right before Max kicked him.

The girls smiled at them before turning to leave. They paused at Alec. "You want a dance handsome?" one of them purred in his ear.

Alec cleared his throat nervously. "S-Sorry. I'm taken," he stammered.

The blonde pouted. "She's a very lucky girl," she murmured.

"Why'd you lie?" Max asked after the girls had left.

"Who said I was lying?" Alec asked, a smirk on his face. "Besides it got rid of them didn't it?"

"We gotta get out of here," Max said, un-cuffing Bruno. "It's not safe here anymore," she added.

*

Bruno was hitting the bell on the front desk over and over. And with each shrill ring of the bell Alec found himself getting more and more annoyed.

"That's it," he snapped, grabbing hold of Bruno's wrist, preventing him from hitting the bell again. "Stop that!" he glared, just as a hotel employee joined them.

They tried to pretend that they had reservations. But when that didn't work, Max handed him some money and they were soon on their way.

"Why do all these rooms only have one bed?" Alec scowled, staring at the offending bed in annoyance.

"You get the floor," Max informed Bruno. "Which one of us gets the bed?" she asked Alec.

"Since I'm a gentleman, you can have it," Alec said, ignoring Max's scoff as he settled in the arm chair.

*

"Ooh, food," Alec jumped up before pausing. "Great, I'm turning into Jack," he muttered, grabbing the champagne bottle. "Why hasn't he answered?" he asked Max when Bruno didn't answer.

"Good question," Max said, banging on the bathroom door and calling out Bruno's name. She waited a few moments before pushing the door open. "Alec!" she cried.

"Damn it," Alec said, standing next to her and seeing that the bathroom window was open. "Suppose we'd best go after him."

"Suppose," Max shrugged, stomping across the room and throwing her jacket on. "Let's go find the stupid bastard."

"I got to give you credit, the tough chick thing does work sometimes," Alec grudgingly admitted after Max had beat the information they needed from the same employee that had checked them in.

"Shut up," Max ordered as she gunned the bike.

*

"You left us so you could hustle pool?" Alec said incredulously when they had located Bruno.

"I was just teaching this guy how to play pool," Bruno shrugged. "And take it from me, he needs all the help he can get."

"I know how to play pool," the guy retorted, taking Bruno's insult personally and dropping his pool cue. He rolled his sleeves up menacingly. Bruno hit the guy in the face with his own cue. The guy made to hit Bruno, but Max reacted quicker, grabbing the guy and easily throwing him to the ground.

"Should have seen that one coming," Alec muttered as the guy landed. "Why does everyone have to get involved?" Alec questioned, hitting the newest guy that decided to join in.

"Testosterone," Max answered, easily knocking out another thug.

"You two should go into business," Bruno commented when no one else was brave enough to challenge them.

"Don't you start!" Max instructed, snapping the handcuffs back on him.

*

Alec awoke with a start when Max re-entered the room.

"Were you asleep?" she asked.

"The story did me in," Alec mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "What's wrong?"

"We gotta go," Max told them, hanging up the phone. "Some goons followed us. They're downstairs," she added, hauling Bruno up by the collar.

*

"I can't believe you made me sleep outside," Alec scowled, clambering out from under the pile of rags he had been using as a cover.

"Stop whining," Max rolled her eyes. "We lost them, didn't we?"

"But I stink now!" Alec cried, flicking something off of him; something that he was positive moved.

*

"Alec," Max interrupted the wife's speech about her ex-husband, "we've got a problem."

"Yeah, I see him," Alec informed her, getting up from where he was sitting at the picnic table.

Before the ex-wife knew what happening, Max and Alec both took off across the park.

They had both reached Bruno when the guy pulled out a gun, aiming it at Bruno. Both Max and Alec dived at Bruno, pushing him to the ground, just as the bullet went flying over their heads.

"Where did he go?" Alec asked, looking around for the guy who appeared to have disappeared into thin air.

"No idea," Max sighed, climbing to her feet and dusting off her trousers.

*

"A bomb?" Alec whispered. "That's the best they could come up with? It's obvious that's a scam."

Max glared. "We gotta get out of here," she said.

"Stairwell seems like a good idea," Bruno said pushing a door open, Alec and Max following him down the stairs while everyone else headed the opposite way.

"What the fuck?" Alec demanded when they arrived at the bottom of the stairs and the guys they were running from exited the van.

"These boys are after one of those Manticore prototype thingies," Bruno said, jogging over to the van. "And now I've got two for them."

"Well this figures," Alec muttered as they slowly got surrounded. "Great. Tazers."

*

 

"Oh, thank god," Alec breathed as Logan's car spun into the area. "Just in time," he added, climbing into the front seat. "We were getting our asses kicked," he cringed as a sharp pain shot through his ribs.

"Can't have that can I?" Logan grinned. "You ok, Max?"

"Just peachy," Max replied sarcastically, wiping blood off of her mouth. "Just peachy."


	13. Art Attack

Alec stretched out under the covers - almost cat like; his naked body cool against the soft sheets. Automatically he reached towards the other side of the bed, hoping to find Logan's muscled body next to him. He sighed when all he felt was the cool spot that Logan had probably long since vacated.

He opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden intrusion of light and looked around the room. Logan was nowhere in sight. Alec wasn't sure why he was surprised at Logan's absence; the other man had always woken up before Alec in the three years they had known each other, but ever since he had been shot Logan had been getting up even earlier so that he could squeeze in a session of physiotherapy with Bling before Alec woke.

The transgenic's hearing couldn't pick out any voices in the apartment so he wasn't sure whether he and Logan were alone or not. He decided that it would be easier if he stayed in bed and waited for Logan to get bored of what ever he was doing and come back to bed; plus the bed was just too comfy to move out from under the covers.

Just as Alec had predicted, the door opened a short while later and Logan entered the room, dressed in a pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest bare and open to Alec's gaze. "Bling leave?" the transgenic asked.

Logan nodded his head. "He left about an hour ago," he replied, looking down at the envelope in his hands.

"What's that?" Alec asked, propping himself up on his elbows, the sheet sliding down low on his waist.

"From my cousin," Logan answered moving over to the dresser, "reminding me that the best man can't go to a wedding without a date."

"When did you say the wedding was?" Alec asked, frowning as he tried to remember when the older man was supposed to give his best man speech.

"This Saturday," Logan reminded him.

"And my guess is that you were planning on going on your own."

Logan nodded his head. "It's not like I can take you as my date. 'Uncle Jonas, this is Alec, my transgenic lover'. I'm not sure that will go down all that well," he grinned at Alec's reflection in the mirror.

"You might want to paraphrase it a little bit," Alec grinned back at him, "but it might work." Logan just shook his head, a smile still adorning his features. "What about Max?" Alec suggested suddenly.

"What?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Max. She'll go to the wedding with you," Alec explained. "Of course I don't think she own a skirt, never mind a dress - so that could cause a problem."

Logan still looked amazed that Alec would suggest such a thing. "Are you really suggesting that if I ask Max to go to the wedding with me, she'll say yes?" Alec nodded his head. "What makes you so sure about it?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Come off it, Logan. Max is besotted with you." He hoped he managed to keep the jealousy out of his voice; deep down he knew that Max wouldn't stand a chance at having a romantic entanglement with his man but he couldn't help wanting to keep her away from Logan. But yet, here he was trying to persuade Logan to ask for Max's presence at the wedding. "She'll do anything for you. Why do you think she to so many 'Eyes Only' missions? She only does it to impress you."

"Are you sure?" Logan questioned.

Alec nodded his head. "She's not exactly the hero type. If you weren't Eyes Only she wouldn't even think about helping out." Logan still didn't convinced so Alec changed the subject. "Now that's settled, why don't you get back in bed and keep this transgenic warm?" he smirked.

Logan turned to face the bed and a smirk spread across his face as he rejoined Alec in the bed.

*

Alec watched as Logan played basketball. He was glad his lover had other people to spend time with, people who could properly understand what it was like to be in a wheelchair.

"You're getting good," Alec commented when Logan had finished playing and had joined him and Jack at the side of the court.

"Thanks," Logan grinned, running a towel over his face as Max arrived.

"Now's your chance to ask her," Alec said, grabbing the ball and heading onto the court. "Come on, Jack," he instructed.

"What's he going to ask her?" Jack asked curiously, tossing the ball back to Logan.

"To go to his cousin's wedding with him," Alec answered, turning to glare at Logan when he heard the other man say he had changed his mind.

Logan sensed someone's eyes on him and looked up to see Alec glaring at him. Alec nodded in satisfaction when he heard Logan tell Max about the wedding.

Logan joined them when Max had disappeared. Alec reached out and snacked Logan on the back of the head. "Ouch!" Logan exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What was that for?" he demanded, glaring at his younger lover.

"For being an ass," Alec replied. "It's amazing you've ever had a girlfriend. You really don't know how to talk to women, do you?"

"Well I don't really need to, do I?" Logan replied, a smirk on his face.

Jack cleared his throat and tossed Logan the ball. "No kissing," he instructed firmly. "We're playing basketball."

*

"What exactly is this?" Alec asked, ducking as Sketchy's make-shift sword came at him.

"Not a clue," Sketchy answered, blocking Alec's attack. "But at the moment," he took a swing at Alec, "it's a sword."

"Hey, hey, hey! That's enough!" Normal's voice cried. "I'm disappointed in you, Alec," he shook his head. "I would expect this from him," he pointed to Sketchy, "but not you."

"Sorry, Normal," Alec shrugged, a smirk on his face, "momentary lapse."

"Working with these idiot's I'm not surprised," Normal commented, picking up the contents that had fallen out of the packages. "Get those delivered," he instructed, once everything was in it's boxes. "Now! Bip, bip, bip!"

*

Alec moaned softly as he kissed Logan gently. "You look so good," he murmured in Logan's ear, as his hands rand down Logan's chest. "So good that I can't wait until you get back," he added, falling to his knees in front of Logan's chair.

Carefully Alec unzipped Logan's dress pants and pushed aside Logan's underwear, allowing the other man's cock to spring free from them. "Looks like you don't want to wait until later, either," Alec commented, ducking his head and catching the drop of pre-come that was threatening to drip onto Logan's trousers.

Logan tossed his head back when Alec ran his tongue up his length. His hands were clutching the arms of the chair so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. A loud moan escaped his throat when Alec took all of Logan's cock in his mouth. His hands moved from the chair to Alec's hair, his fingers tightening their grip when Alec moved his head up and down, his tongue eagerly lapping at Logan like he was some kind of lollypop.

Logan felt his balls tighten seconds before he was coming, pearly white come shooting in Alec's mouth. Alec just grinned around him and swallowed each drop eagerly. Logan released Alec's hair as the younger man licked him clean before tucking him back into his underwear and fastening his pants. "There," he grinned in satisfaction, "not a drop spilt," he nodded.

"Good boy," Logan whispered in Alec's ear, pulling him closer and pressing a passionate kiss against his mouth. "And when I get back you'll get yours," he promised, running his hand down Alec's chest and pressing his palm against Alec's trouser clad erection.

Alec moaned and bucked his hips forward, trying to feel friction on his cock but Logan moved his hand away, causing a whimper of protest to rise in Alec's throat. "Later," Logan promised, running his tongue along the shell of Alec's ear.

*

"Did you have a fun night?" Alec asked when he arrived at Logan's house the next morning.

"Yeah, it was great," Logan replied sarcastically. "I spent the entire evening avoiding various members of my family, so they wouldn't keep reminding me that I'm not doing anything with my life and need to settle down. Max looked beautiful in the dress she stole," he said conversationally. Alec glared, "Don't look like that. I said she looked beautiful, that's it. I'm sure you would have looked gorgeous in it as well," he smirked, causing Alec to roll his eyes.

"And she did manage to steal this for me," he held up his mother's locket for Alec's inspection.

"That's beautiful," Alec said softly, looking at the inscription. "Who's was it?"

"My mom's," Logan replied, slipping it onto the side table. "Do me a favour." Alec turned to look at his questioningly. "Hit me in the leg," he blurted out.

"What?" Alec exclaimed. "No!" he said firmly.

"Please, Alec," Logan begged, "just humour me." Alec sighed and tapped Logan's thigh gently. Logan rolled his eyes, "Come on, put some muscle into it," he instructed. Alec glared and hit Logan's leg hard, knowing that other man wouldn't be able to feel it anyway. "Ow!" Logan scowled. "I didn't mean that hard."

Alec's eyes widened in surprise. "You felt that?" he asked. Logan nodded his head and Alec grinned. "That's great!"

"Well not really, cause that actually did hurt," Logan glared.


	14. Rising

Logan moaned as Alec parted his legs. "What did the doctor say?" Alec asked curiously, running his hands up Logan's thighs.

Logan groaned and tipped his head back on the pillow. "That I was imagining the feeling I felt the other day," he whispered, his breath hitching as Alec's fingers skimmed over the skin where Logan's leg met his hip. "Oh, god," he moaned when Alec's fingers curled around his cock. "Stop being such a tease," he growled.

Alec grinned up and lowered his head, drawing a very loud moan from his lovers throat.

*

"Do you know what I think?" Logan said as Alec and Jack entered his apartment.

"A hello would be nice," Alec rolled his eyes, tossing his jacket onto a nearby chair.

"I think that me feeling something in my legs has something to do with Max," Logan continued, ignoring Alec.

Alec groaned and threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. "There's that name again," he growled. "I'm sick of hearing it," he snapped. "Max this, Max that, why don't you just marry the damn woman?" he glared.

"Max transfused me in the hospital, I think that her blood is somehow managing to repair the cells that were damaged in the attack."

"What?" Jack said, looking at Logan in surprise. "How is that even possible?" he asked.

"Think about it," Logan said, "I know you've all got amazing healing abilities and probably a surplus of stem cells, it makes sense that her blood in my body would repair my damaged ones."

"Which is why we're going to try it again," Max interrupted, stepping into the hallway with a few medical supplies in her hand.

"You're going to let her transfuse you again?" Alec demanded of Logan. Logan nodded his head and Alec growled. "No you're not," he replied, snatching the things out of Max's hands. "If you're going to have anyone's blood in you it's going to be mine," he snarled, glaring at Max as he passed.

"What's wrong with him?" Max asked Jack as they followed Logan.

"Logan is Alec's best friend," Jack replied, "not yours," he added, not seeing the look of hurt that flashed across Max's face as he sat down and helped Alec.

*

Alec frowned and looked back at Sketchy and Original Cindy with the same look of confusion they were giving him. "Can you understand what he's saying?" he asked, indicating to Herbal who was now walking away from them.

"It's weird," Sketchy replied, jogging slightly to keep up with Herbal. "You all right?" he asked in concern.

"I am very well, thank you," Herbal replied, in the same perfect English as before.

"You talkin' strange," Cindy informed him.

"I am practising speaking more clearly," Herbal answered.

"What's wrong with the way you talk normally?" Alec asked, looking at his friend. He laughed when he heard that Herbal's girlfriend couldn't understand the way he spoke. "Herbal, pal," he said, patting him on the shoulder, "we understand you perfectly. Not sure if that's a good thing or not," he grinned.

Cindy rolled her eyes and swatted him on the arm. "Of course that's a good thing." She tossed a mock-glare in Alec's direction.

"You're leaving?" Alec asked after Cindy had got off of the phone. "That's great!" he exclaimed, earning him a real glare this time. "Well not great in the fact that you're leaving, but great because you're getting out of this shit hole!" he explained himself.

"As weird as that sounded, I think there was a congratulations in there somewhere," Cindy laughed.

"You know me!" Alec grinned as Cindy hugged him.

*

Alec listened to the message Max was leaving Logan and congratulated himself as he managed to not rip the phone off the hook.

"You're doing it again," Alec sighed, stepping closer to his lover who hadn't said anything to him since he had arrived. "Wallowing in self pity," he added.

"You weren't here earlier," Logan whispered, shaking his head. "I thought it had worked," he sighed, "I managed to step up and everything."

"Well that's great isn't it?" Alec asked in confusion.

"It was until everything came crashing down again," Logan sighed,. He looked over at his desk, which he had finally managed to get organized. "Literally." Alec sighed and kissed the top of Logan's head, knowing that nothing he could say right then would make his lover feel better about anything.

*

"These guys are probably after me as well," Alec sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Probably," Max agreed. "They just got to me first," she sighed as well.

"Wait!" Alec interrupted. "Are you telling me that we don't stand a chance against these killers?" he demanded. Sebastian ignored him. "Great," he muttered. "Just great."

*

"Alec, we gotta go," Max called through to where Alec and Jack were chatting in the kitchen.

"Hold on, why do I have to go anywhere with you?" Alec demanded.

"Because I think Original Cindy's in trouble," Max replied. "She is your friend, isn't she?" Max asked.

Alec sighed and stood up, "Where are we going?" he questioned.

"The place she works at now," Max replied, leading Alec to the door.

"Wait!" Jack called, throwing on his own coat.

"Jack, you're not coming with us," Alec argued.

"Al, I'm not ten years old anymore, you don't need to baby-sit me," Jack replied. "And if these guys are as powerful as Sebastian says they are, you're going to need some extra hands. Besides, me and Al are combat soldiers right?" he grinned at Logan, who rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Fine," Alec relented with a sigh. "We won't be long and we will be careful," he swore to Logan as they left.

*

"Max, don't be stupid," Alec snapped as Max picked up the implant.

"That thing could kill you," Jack reminded her.

"I know," Max replied, "but Cindy's in trouble because of me and I need to save her. You said it yourself, these guys are too powerful for us. Let's see how they cope with this," she said, taking a deep breath and shoving the implant into the skin on the back of her neck.

"Max!" Jack cried as Max fell to the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

"I'm fine," Max sighed, shrugging Jack's hand off her. "Let's get this over with."

*

"I don't get it," Original Cindy said. "All this time we've known each other and you didn't tell me that you were a genetically engineered killing machine?"

"Max didn't tell you either," Alec cried, pointing a finger at Max.

"You've known her for longer," Max argued, "you should have told her."

"Why me?" Alec demanded as they continued bickering.

"Are they always like this?" Cindy asked Logan and Jack.

"Pretty much," they both chorused with a grin.

*

"I've got a surprise for you," Logan smirked up at his lover.

Alec's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Really?" Logan laughed as he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet like a small child would. "What?" he asked excitedly.

"Close your eyes," Logan instructed. Alec pouted. "I'm serious," Logan said, "close them and no peeking."

Alec sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. When Logan was sure that Alec couldn't see he slowly lifted himself to his feet so that he was once again slightly taller than his lover. "You can open your eyes now," he whispered.

Alec lowered his hands and gasped in surprise when he saw Logan's face in front of his. "But I thought it didn't work," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It's not perfect," Logan replied, kissing him softly, "but at least it's a start," he added as he sat back down in the chair.


	15. The Kids Are Aiight

Jack's head lifted the instant Logan's door opened. He sniffed the air eagerly and grinned as he jumped up and bounded into the other room.

"I smell chicken," he exclaimed, bouncing up to Max and trying to see into her bag eagerly. "Can we share? Please?" he begged.

Max laughed and nodded her head, allowing the blond to take the bag off of her. "There's enough for all of us, so I don't see why not. I figured Logan could whip up one of his culinary miracles," she shrugged. Jack grinned wider, his mouth practically watering at the thought of Logan's cooking, "Where is he anyway?" she asked curiously, looking around and not seeing him.

"He's gone for a walk," Bling told her, with a small smile. "Down by the waterfront. Alec's gone with him."

*

"We're trespassing, you know?" Alec commented stuffing his socks inside his boots and joining his lover who was standing by the water.

Logan shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Who cares," he whispered, looking at Alec lovingly. "This feels so good," he murmured.

"What?" Alec asked. "Standing in cold water?" he looked at the waves lapping around their ankles.

"Just standing in general," Logan replied. "It's nice to be taller than you again," he added.

Alec scowled and folded his arms across his chest. "Don't rub it in," he muttered, causing Logan to laugh.

*

"You and Max got a date or something?" Bling asked Logan.

"It's not a date," Logan retorted. "She's just coming over for dinner. We have dinner all the time. Besides, Alec and Jack are coming over as well."

"Whatever you say," Bling said, backing out of Logan's closet when the hazel eyed man glared at him. "I still think she really likes you."

"Duly noted," Logan muttered, grabbing some trousers.

*

"Hey," Logan greeted softly as he opened the door to reveal Alec on the other side. "Where's Jack?" he asked curiously, not seeing his lover's best friend.

"Parking his car," Alec shrugged stepping into the apartment. "Am I the first one here?" he asked. Logan nodded his head. "Good," he whispered, closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together.

Logan moaned into Alec's mouth and his hands went around his back, pulling the transgenic closer. Alec opened his mouth, inviting Logan's tongue in as his body pressed against the older man's.

Behind them Jack cleared his throat and Alec pulled away from Logan in surprise. "Unless you want Max to find out about you two, I would quit it. She's on her way up," he informed them.

Just as the words were out of Jack's mouth the door opened again and Max entered the penthouse. "Hey," she greeted, looking put out that her and Logan weren't the only ones there.

"Hi," Logan greeted. "I hope you're hungry," he said leading Max and Alec into the dining room. Jack looked up from where he was stealing a piece of chicken.

"Sorry," he whispered guilty, looking down. "It just smells too good."

Logan laughed and patted him on the back. "It's okay," he assured the blond as they sat down. "At least I know you like my cooking," he added.

Halfway through the meal Logan's phone rang. "Can you grab that?" Logan asked Max.

She turned around and grabbed the ringing phone. "Zack?" they all heard her question in surprise. All three of them lifted their heads to look at her.

After a very quick conversation Max slammed the receiver back down and jumped to her feet. Logan followed her to the door, aware that Alec was watching every move he made. He tried to convince Max that she would probably be walking straight into a trap, but Max wasn't listening and she eventually managed to storm out of the building.

Logan sighed in annoyance and turned to Alec and Jack who were still looking at him. "Don't start, Al, okay?" he begged when Alec opened his mouth.

"I wasn't," Alec retorted. "I was just going to say that she's a big girl and can take care of herself. But if you want me to, I'll go with her," he offered.

"No way," Logan shook his head. "I'm not having you walking into a trap as well," he said firmly.

"So instead of two of us standing a chance of coming back, she'll go it alone," Alec shrugged, "you sure you can live with that?" he muttered, shovelling chicken into his mouth.

Logan sighed and lowered his head. "You know a couple of months ago you would have never suggested helping her, what's gotten into you?"

Alec smirked as he got to his feet. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked, reaching up and pressing a kiss against Logan's lips.

"Eww," Jack muttered from where he was still sitting down.

Alec laughed and threw his jacket on. "Come on, Jack," he instructed.

"But," Jack started to argue, pointing at all the food that was still left.

"I'll keep it warm for you," Logan swore.

Jack grinned at him, "Thanks," he replied, shovelling one more fork full into his mouth before taking off after Alec.

*

Max was almost at the checkpoint when Alec and Jack caught up with her. "Hey, lil' girl, you need some help," Jack said, putting on what Alec could only describe as the worst Texan accent he had ever heard.

"Piss off," Max answered, clearly thinking they were someone else. "Oh," she said in surprise when she saw them. "It's you," she added dully.

"Gee, Maxie," Alec said, "don't sound so pleased about it."

Jack elbowed Alec. "We've come to help you out," Jack informed her.

"I don't need your help," Max retorted. "Logan just sent you here to talk me out of it."

"Why would he do that?" Alec said sarcastically. "It could be because he knows that we're probably going to be walking straight into a trap. But, we're still here helping you because Zack is in trouble and needs our help."

Max sighed and lowered her head. "Fine," she grudgingly relented. "But if you screw this up, I'll kill you," she threatened, waggling a finger in Alec's face.

"Why does everyone think that I'm going to screw things up?" Alec muttered as they clambered onto a vehicle carrier, where they would be able to hide out in the vans that were on the top level.

When they reached the next sector post, they all heard sector cops tell they driver that they had to search the entire vehicle for contraband. "Shit," Alec muttered as they mounted their bikes, Jack riding with Alec on his.

Before any of the guards knew what was happening both Alec and Max had hit the gas and drove the bikes off of the carrier and they were speeding off down the road.

When they were a safe enough distance from the sector post Alec slowed down slightly gasping for breath. "Jack," he wheezed, "can you loosen your grip a little?"

"Oh," Jack mumbled, realising how tightly he had wound his arms around his best friend's torso, "sorry."

"Do you reckon she knows where he is?" Alec asked under his breath.

Max overheard him and scowled. "Of course I do," she snapped. "We should stop here." She pulled the bike to a stop. "It'll be easier to continue on foot," she added as she set about hiding her bike with leaves from nearby trees and bushes.

"These are so going to scratch my baby," Alec moaned as he and Jack did the same.

Jack and Max rolled their eyes. "Stop whining," Jack instructed. "Logan will get you some polish or something later."

"Polish isn't going to work," Alec grumbled, "she's tarnished forever now." Jack chuckled under his breath and took off with Max. Alec looked up and noticed that they were already half way down the road. "Hey!" he cried, running after them. "Wait for me."

*

"Why would he be hiding in a cold cave?" Alec questioned, shivering as he pulled his jacket tighter around his body.

Jack shrugged his shoulders, seconds before an arm reached out and a hand clasped itself around Max's throat. "Zack!" she gasped. "It's me."

"What are you doing here?" Zack's voice asked out of the darkness.

"You asked us to come," Alec snapped as him and Jack managed to wrench Max out of Zack's grip.

"He sent you," Zack argued. "You're trying to trick me."

"Zack," Jack said softly. "No one's trying to trick you," he tried to assure the other blond. "But we have to get out of here."

"Yeah," Max said, her hand still rubbing at her throat. "Lydecker's men are all over the place."

"They're here because you called them." Zack backed away from them. "You've turned, all three of you."

"Zack nobody has turned against you," Jack whispered. "Earlier you called Max and asked for her help. Me and Alec came along to help. We're here because you asked us to, Zack."

"What did they do to you?" Max asked softly when Zack didn't say anything.

"I didn't tell them anything," Zack swore, his voice choked. "About you or any of the others."

"If they used psychoactives how can he be sure?" Jack asked Alec quietly.

"He can't," Alec whispered back.

They watched as Max and Zack conversed quietly. "Oh, god," Alec muttered when Zack told Max that there was no way he could forget her. "I think I'm going to barf."

Jack chuckled. "I think it's sweet," he said. "Besides, it gets her away from, you know who," he whispered quietly, so quiet that Alec could barely hear the words and he was standing a foot away from Jack.

"Good point," Alec agreed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Right then they heard helicopters overhead. "I'll go check it out," Alec volunteered. "You lot just wait here," he added as he headed out of the cave.  
When he made sure everything was okay, Alec headed back into the cave. Just as he got to where Zack was laying, the blond shot bolt upright. "Whoa," he laughed, taking a few steps back, "calm down."

"It's a long time since I've been able to let my guard down long enough to sleep. You never did need a lot," he added, looking towards Max.

"Me and Jondy," Max nodded her head.

"Must be why she doesn't mind working nights," Zack commented before looking up in horror. "In a bar. In Portland." Zack frowned. "Wait, that's Tinga. Jondy lives in San Francisco. Right near the Golden Gate."

The other three looked at each other in surprise. "What about Tinga?" Max questioned. "You said she lives in Portland?"

Zack nodded his head and informed them that she works in a bakery. They heard how Zane was currently in LA, working as a mechanic. Max just nodded her head and encouraged him.

As Alec listened he couldn't stop himself from asking. "What about Ben?"

Zack frowned for a moment, trying to recall before answering. "I haven't from him for a while, but rumour has it, he lives in New York," he told Alec. "In an apartment he shares with some girl who works in a bank."

Alec nodded his head, feeling good that his brother was okay and not all on his own.

x

"What?" Jack demanded, looking over the hill to where there were guards ready and waiting in the gas station. "So now we can't get food without getting attacked? Great!" he muttered sarcastically. "I'm starving!"

Alec laughed softly and shook his head. "I know it's very difficult for you, but could you try to forget about you appetite for two minutes?"

Jack scowled at him and shook his head. "Wait," he whispered. "How come they're only looking out for you?" he asked Max.

"They must think that I'm the only one that Zack has been in touch with," Max shrugged her shoulders as they turned and headed back to the cave. "We need to get out of here," she added as they weaved their way in and out of the trees.

It wasn't long before they had reached Zack again and they were heading back out of the cave. "Ow, ow, ow," Alec grumbled as they made their way over the rocks that lined the edge of the stream.

"Can I throw him in?" Jack asked as he jogged alongside Max.

"Please do," she grinned back at him.

"Hey!" Alec retorted. "I heard that!" he added, scowling at his best friend.

x

"How did you know there was a transmitter in your head?" Alec asked in wonderment as they continued on their path.

"I could feel something weird, here," Zack pointed to where he had ripped the electronic tracking device from his head. "Figures, they would use something like that."

"Yep," Alec agreed, "sounds like our i father /i ."

"How are we going to warn the others?" Zack asked as Max and Alec uncovered their motorcycles.

"Let's concentrate on getting out of here first," Max replied, getting on the bike and motioning for Zack to get on behind her. A few seconds later she took off down the road, Alec and Jack right behind her.

x

"You were right," Alec admitted from where he was standing in Logan's office doorway.

Logan looked around in surprise. "It was a trick," Max added.

"I didn't want to be right," Logan said regretfully. "What happened?"

"Lydecker let him escape so he'd lead him to the others," Jack whispered, frowning as he stuck his fork into the chicken Logan had been keeping warm for him, just as the journalist had promised.

"I jeopardized everything," Zack scolded himself.

"What do you mean?" Logan demanded. "How?"

"By opening my big mouth," Zack sighed, banging the heel of his hand against his forehead.

x

Alec looked across the room to where Max was trying to help Zack remember how he got in touch with the other X5's. "This is taking too long," Alec sighed. "Lydecker could already be on his way to them. I wish there was a quicker way to warn them."

"Maybe there is," Jack said from the doorway behind them.

Both Logan and Alec turned around and looked at him curiously. "How?" Logan questioned.

"Well," Jack shrugged, "I was just thinking that it would be quicker telling everyone at once and since everyone watches television, whether they're in New York or San Francisco, Eyes Only might be able to help," he suggested, his eyes drifting over to Logan's face.

Alec and Logan looked at each other in surprise, appalled that they hadn't thought of that. "Jack, you're a genius," Alec praised as Logan fired up his computer.

"I know," Jack grinned.

_"Do not attempt to adjust your sets. This is a Streaming Freedom video bulletin. This cable hack is being beamed to you right across America. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped. This is a message for those known as X5. You have been compromised. You are in danger. I repeat, your locations have been compromised. You know what to do. This message will repeat every hour on the hour until each of you has checked in."_

Logan turned to look at his audience, "Hopefully that'll work," he said. "Now we wait to see who calls the contact number."

"Eyes Only just made himself another enemy," Max said regretfully.

"Yeah, well," Logan shrugged. "It was getting a little quiet around here anyway!" he grinned.

It wasn't long before calls started coming in from various X5's around the country. "Tinga just called," Zack said, looking at them all. "Lydecker's onto her. She needs our help."

"It's okay," Max said when Alec and Jack made to get up. "You can stay," she told them, "two of us can handle this."

Jack looked at Alec questioningly. Alec shrugged his shoulders. "If you're sure," he said quietly.

"I am," Max agreed before her and Zack headed out.

"Finally," Alec grinned, "peace and quiet," he smirked over at Logan.

Jack noticed the look and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Logan," he said, getting up and heading back into the kitchen, "mind if I eat all your food? Thanks," he added without waiting for answer.


	16. Female Trouble

Alec frowned as he flicked through the magazine that was in his lap. He couldn't believe Logan had originally planned to come into the seedier part of the city on his own, without anyone around to protect him. Logan had countered Alec's argument by reminding the transgenic that every part of the city was now a seedy part of town.

He shivered and zipped his jacket up tighter around his chin. The car heater was almost on full but yet he was still freezing. He wished Logan would hurry up so they could go home and keep warm in front of the fire in Logan's apartment. He smiled to himself when he heard a song that he loved come onto the radio that was playing quietly, providing light background music to take Alec's mind off of who Logan was seeing in the building that was in front of the car.

He knew that the female doctor Logan was visiting was a doctor from Manticore and he didn't like it at all. He hadn't voiced his concerns to Logan because he knew how high his lovers hopes were and there was no way Alec was willing to be the one to shatter them.  
Instead he just swallowed down his fears and hoped that he was over reacting as he reached over and turned the stereo up while he waited for Logan to come back.

x

"Hey," Jack greeted, looking up when Alec arrived home the next day. "How did Logan go on at the doctors?" he asked.

Alec shook his head. "Not so good," he whispered, sitting in the chair that was next to the sofa that Jack was lying on. "The doctor told him that his body's rejecting the new tissue that was formed when me and Max transfused him. If it gets worse he'll be back in the wheelchair."

"What did Logan say?" Jack questioned.

"You know what he's like," Alec sighed, running his hand through his hair. "He told her that he doesn't care how much it costs, he wants a cure. There's no way he wants to go back into that chair."

"What did you say?"

"What could I say?" Alec asked, leaning back and closing his eyes. "That I don't like it. That I don't want him to pay all that money for something that might not even work. That I don't want him risking his life to get rid of something that doesn't effect the way I feel about him anyway." Alec shook his head as he got up and headed towards his bedroom. "The only thing I can do is stand by him, even though I don't agree with what he's doing."

x

"Mrs Moreno, how are you doin' today?" Logan asked as he left the apartment building.

His elderly neighbour smiled at him. "One foot in front of the other, you know?" she replied. "How is your friend?" she asked. "The charming young man who always stops by with the blond boy."

"Alec," Logan nodded. "He's fine," he assured her. "Have a nice day, Mrs Moreno."

Logan turned away from the door and started to walk across the sidewalk, just as Max's voice spoke up from behind him. He listened as Max asked if he was up to cooking a meal for her. Logan frowned internally and told her that he had an appointment and wouldn't be able to meet her later. In truth he didn't feel up to having company from anyone at that moment; not even Alec. Logan didn't want to admit it to his lover but the situation that he was currently in terrified him. He was afraid that something would go wrong and he would die, leaving Alec alone. But inside he could hear a little voice telling him that if he didn't get rid of the wheelchair soon, Alec would come to his senses and realise that he could be with people other than a crippled old man like him.

x

"Did you know that Logan was seeing a doctor?" Max asked Alec as the car pulled to a stop.

After they had left the doctor's practise Max had ordered the doctor to stop at Alec's apartment. She called up, briefly explained the situation to him and a short while later both him and Jack were sitting in the backseat of the doctor's car.

"Yeah," Alec nodded. "I've been going with him to each appointment."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Max demanded.

"Because what he does isn't anything to do with you," Alec snapped.

"And I suppose you think it's got everything to do with you," Max snarled, opening the car door.

"I have known him longer than you have," Alec called as she exited the car. "Come on," he said, indicating for the doctor to drive. "Let's get you out of here."

x

"Any idea how the money's being laundered?" Logan's voice was asking. "All right. I'll pass this along to Eyes Only, I'm sure he'll want to get into it right away," he added as Max stalked across the room and severed the connection. "Hey!" Logan cried, batting Max's hand away and turning to glare at her. "What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded.

"We need to talk," Max stated.

"That was an informant with evidence on how the sector police are extorting money from…" he trailed off when he saw the look on Max's face. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Talk to me about Dr Vertes," Max instructed, folding her arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry?" Logan asked in confusion.

"I know you're her patient," Max informed him. "I followed you to her office."

"Oh, you followed me?" Logan repeated in annoyance. "Can I ask why?"

"You've been acting really strange and I've been worried. Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "You told Alec."

"Alec's been coming with me to the appointments and I thank you for your concern, but I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your nose out of my business. Everything's fine," he added in an attempt to assure her.

"Really?" Max questioned, following him into another room. "Then how come an X5 assassin tried to kill Dr Vertes just a little while ago?"

Logan spun around, staring at her in surprise. "What?" he asked in concern. "Is she all right?"

"Yes, thanks to moi, her transgenic guardian angel, she's fine. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself mixed up in here. She's from Manticore," she told him.

"I know," Logan sighed. Max just stared at him in shock and asked how he knew. "I've spent six months digging up all I could about Manticore to help you find the others."

"And you just forgot to tell me about this?"

"Not everything I do is your business," Logan sighed, looking out of the window into the night.

"Finding one of the bright young sadists who did experiments on us back in the day certainly is my business," Max snarled angrily. "And why is something like this Alec's business but not mine. I'm sick of you sharing things with him and not me. Don't you think I'm worthy enough to know all the ins and outs of the fabulous Logan Cale's life?"

"She's probably the only person on the planet who can keep me from landing back in a wheelchair," Logan told her as if he was talking to a small child.

"If you need another transfusion just ask," Max said in confusion. "You've got three transgenics on hand. It's not like finding one is a hard thing for you."

"That won't help," Logan sighed before he explained what the doctor had told him. "Where is she now?" he asked.

"In the safe house," Max replied. "Alec and Jack are taking her there now."

x

"Hey," Alec greeted when he saw Max and arrive at the safe house.

Logan strained a smile at him and he frowned in concern. "I'm fine," he murmured before Alec could ask what was wrong with him. "We'll talk later," he assured him.

"I was recruited by Manticore right out of Johns Hopkins," Vertes told them. "They said I'd be working at the cutting edge of motor-function research, that funding would never be a problem. Obviously, it was before the Pulse hit."

"Who did you work with?" Jack asked, taking a drink from the can of soda Logan had brought for him.

"I worked on series X3 through to the preliminary stages of X7. Mostly I treated injuries that they managed to sustain."

"You did medical experiments as well, though," Max said quietly. "Like breaking the arms and legs of young children?" she snarled. "Your guinea pigs. You mean, those kinds of experiments?"

"I was conducting research into how to accelerate osteoregeneration," Vertes admitted. "And that same research is allowing me to help you friend here."

They all listened as Vertes explained what she had been doing since she had transferred out of Manticore.

"You're a great humanitarian," Alec said sarcastically, unable to keep the anger he felt out of his voice. He knew that she had been trying to help Logan, which was fine when he hadn't had to look at her. But seeing her face brought back memories and the hatred he felt for the woman who had broken his arm in several places as a child, all in the name of science.

Jack looked up from where he was fiddling with the zipper on a pocket of his trousers. "Why do they wanna kill you?" he asked quietly after a moment of silence.

"They're afraid I could be bought. That I could sell the information I learnt about Manticore abroad," Vertes informed them. "People have been wiped out in the past six years. I thought I was off their radar screen. Apparently I was wrong. I guess I don't have to ask you where your stem cells came from," she commented, glancing over at the three transgenics.

"Jace, that girl earlier, was one of us," Max said.

"She was an X5 who stayed behind when we all escaped," Jack said softly.

"And she was reprogrammed," Vertes said regretfully.

"How do you mean reprogrammed?" Alec asked.

"They felt that they had created you," she indicated towards the three of them, "with too much independence. The remaining X5's were simplified in the neuropsych department. I have a friend in Tokyo who's familiar with my research. And, obviously I'll refund your money."  
Logan's eyes widened in horror. "What do you mean?" Alec demanded for his lover.

"Well, I don't plan on sticking around in Seattle," Vertes replied.

Jack jumped up in annoyance. "Look," he said angrily. "There are three of us. We can take care of the X5. Your only concern is to make sure that Logan gets the treatment he needs."

Max and Alec nodded their heads in agreement. "I can't go back to my clinic now that they know where it is," Vertes reminded them.

"You'll be safe," Jack replied.

"You have our word," Max added.

x

Max looked up from under her hair. Alec and Jack were crouched in a nearby storage cabinet. They had decided that Max should use herself as bait and the other two would lay in wait.

Max had been cleaning up the mess that had been left from the previous attack for almost half an hour. All three of them were doubting whether Jace would show up again and considering giving up.

"I've had enough of this," Alec whispered, moving to stand upright from where he was crouching in the small space next to Jack.

He put his hand on the door handle, just as the roof above Max crashed and Jace fell through it, landing perfectly on her feet. Max rolled onto her back and grabbed the hand that was now wielding a knife at her.

"That's not very nice," Jack commented as him and Alec stepped out of the cupboard.

Jace's attention wavered long enough for Max to shove her to one side and jump to her feet, shedding the white lab coat in the process.

"You really don't stand a chance against three of us, just FYI," Max informed her, as they surrounded her.

Jace looked more than ready to take her chances with her three siblings. Max, Jack and Alec shifted closer then, to their surprise, Jace's facial expression changed and she fell to the floor, clutching her abdomen.

"What did you do?" Alec asked, cautiously stepping closer and looking down at Jace, who was unconscious.

"I don't know," Max whispered.

x

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered, sitting up in the bed and looking down at his lover who was staring up at the ceiling sadly. "I know how much those tests working out meant to you." Logan didn't say anything. "You know there are more doctors out there. Someone else might be able to help as well."

"She was the only one I had access to," Logan said, his gaze never moving from the tiled ceiling above the bed.

"Then we'll keep looking for another doctor in Seattle," Alec said, turning Logan's head so that the older man was looking at him. "Hopefully we'll find one that doesn't want to hand your transgenic lover over to Lydecker. We'll keep trying. I promise you that I'll help you. I won't give up," he swore.

Logan turned his gaze to Alec and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you," he whispered.


	17. Haven

Alec grinned as he snuck into Logan's apartment. He had just been out to grab some gas for the car and they were about to head off on a weekend trip, just the two of them. Alec couldn't wait to get away from Max. It had been such a long time since him and Logan had been able to have some time alone. Alec had been a little reluctant to leave Jack alone for the weekend with Lydecker on the loose but the blond had assured him that everything would be fine.

No one had told Max that they were going away for the weekend. Neither Logan nor Alec really wanted her tagging along with them, so everyone had been ordered to keep the trip under wraps and if Max asked they were to inform her that Alec and Logan were tracking down a lead on an Eyes Only case.

Logan was on the phone when Alec arrived. The transgenic smiled in amusement as he watched his lover roll around the room from his various pieces of computer equipment. Logan paused when he turned around and saw Alec. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, yourself," Alec replied, leaning down to kiss Logan. "I got the gas, it's in the car waiting."

Logan smiled up at him. "You sure you still want to go?" he asked, moving into the dining room. "We were planning on going rock climbing and mountaineering and… stuff. It's not like I can do that now," he finished with a slight sigh.

Alec rolled his eyes and moved around so that he was in front of Logan. "If you think that the only reason I'm going up there with you is to do all that adventure stuff," he ran his hand down Logan's chest, squeezing his dick gently through his trousers, "then you are sadly mistaken, Mr Cale."  
Logan cleared his throat. "Okay," he whispered, "we're still going."

"Good," Alec grinned, "I didn't want to have to kill you for making me spend all day in line for gas we don't need."

"Something's come up," Logan told him. "I'll have work to do as well," he said regretfully.

"When don't you have work to do?" Alec scoffed. "But when you've done, it'll be just you and me, making love in front of a roaring fire."

"I just spoke to Matt. We'll need… sector passes," he trailed off when he saw that Alec was holding two Class One Sector Passes in his hand. "How did you get those?" he asked, taking them off of his lover and inspecting them.

"I swiped them from the police," Alec told him, beaming proudly. "Do you have any idea how much blood rushes to your head when you hang upside down outside a window for an hour?" he asked. "A lot," he nodded.

Logan laughed and reached up to pull his lover back down to his level. "Thank you," he whispered, kissing Alec passionately. "I appreciate it."

"Hey," Alec grinned, "I didn't do it just for you. I finally have a chance to get my boyfriend all alone for more than five minutes. Trust me, the motive behind my actions was purely selfish."

x

They had been driving for what seemed like forever. Alec was starting to get bored. It was usually Jack that got fidgety after sitting still for so long but after being on the road for so long, Alec was starting to feel like doing something more interesting.

Logan had put music on to try and make the journey more enjoyable. But, just like always, Logan taste in music varied widely from Alec's own personal choice of things to listen to. Deciding that only one thing would make the journey more enjoyable, Alec reached under Logan's arm to unfasten the zipper on the older man's pants.

"Wha-What are you doing?" Logan gasped in surprise, turning his head to look at Alec.

Alec just grinned back at him. "Just keep your eyes on the road," he instructed. "We wouldn't want you to crash."

Without saying another word Alec unfastened his seat belt, turned slightly in his seat and ducked his head underneath Logan's arm, taking his lover's cock in his mouth.

Logan gasped and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he tried desperately to keep his mind on the road and not on the warm mouth that was doing dastardly things to his cock.

When Logan couldn't take it anymore he came with a shout, shooting down Alec's throat. Alec sat up, a grin on his face as he wiped a stray drop of come off of the corner of his mouth. Just as he settled back into his seat he noticed that they were pulling up to a gate that was being guarded by three guys with shot guns.

"Isn't amazing how quickly a journey passes when you're getting a blow job?" Alec smirked glancing out of the window at the guys. "Is this the welcoming committee?" he asked.

"Just just like every other place in the country," Logan sighed. "Welcome to Cape Haven," he added, glancing at the almost derelict town in front of them.

Alec listened as one of the shot gun guys and Logan spoke. They weren't real friendly here, he noted. "Welcome to Cape Haven," the shot gun guy repeated Logan's greeting with even less enthusiasm that Logan had.

"People here are real friendly," Alec stated sarcastically as Logan wound the window up and put the car into drive.

"Very," Logan agreed. "Look at that," Logan said, stopping the car in front of a church that had a clock on the side.

"It's stopped at 12:05," Alec said.

"June 21st 2009," Logan added. "Stopped working when the Pulse hit."

x

"Well, it's… sort of cute," Alec commented as Logan pulled up to the a small cottage.

"It's better than camping out under the stars," Logan replied.

"I don't know about that," Alec shrugged as Logan shut off the engine. "Imagine lying on a blanket, looking up at the stars. They'd be brighter out here than they are in the city."

"Maybe we can still do that," Logan suggested. "Just as long as we still sleep in a nice warm bed where there's no spiders or insects," he shuddered.

"Deal," Alec grinned, getting out of the car. "I'll get the bags," he volunteered as Logan popped the trunk.

"You Trudy?" Logan asked the woman who had just exited the cabin.

"Mr Cale," she greeted. "Come on around. Through the kitchen," she added, indicating to the side of the house.

Alec paused as he followed Logan, there was a young boy poking his head around the curtains in the window. Alec couldn't help thinking that he looked sad and lonely.

As Trudy told them where everything was, Alec's mind kept wandering to the little boy who was now standing outside the front door, watching them intently.

He was brought back to the situation by Trudy apologizing for their only being one bed. "It's okay," Alec assured her. "I'm sure we can work something out," he grinned down at Logan who fought very hard not to roll his eyes.

Trudy frowned for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "If you're sure," she continued. She told them about a few more things before addressing the boy, Sage, and leaving them alone.

"Oooh," Alec grinned, jogging over to the log fire and grabbing a box of matches. "Do you want to get all hot and heavy right now?" he asked, lighting the fire before throwing a sexy look in Logan's direction.

"Actually," Logan hesitated. "There's kind of something I need…"

Alec stood up and walked over to Logan. "It's okay," he whispered, running his hands through the journalists hair. "I know how much helping other people means to you. Go talk to your source," he instructed, kissing Logan passionately. "I'll stay here in front of the nice warm fire reading the book that Jack got for me."

"What book is it?" Logan asked curiously. Alec moved over to his bag and pulled out a beat up copy of, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?" Logan chuckled in mild amusement.

"It sounds pretty good," Alec shrugged, looking at the back cover. "Have you ever read it?" he asked.

Logan nodded his head. "I remember all seven of them coming out," he told Alec before pausing with a frown on his face. "Oh, god," he groaned, "that makes me sound old."

x

A couple of hours after Logan had left, Alec found that he was so captivated by the magical world that the author had created that he couldn't stop reading, but his legs were starting to go numb so he bookmarked the page and got up to grab some more firewood for the dwindling fire.

After chopping up a couple of logs he was making his way back into the cottage when he felt a wave of convulsions hit. He tried to ignore them, will the feelings down until he got back into the house but one particularly bad wave made him convulse so violently that he threw the logs he was carrying down on the ground.

Grasping at the back of his neck his pain, he leant against the pillar of the house, trying to ride out the seizure. After that particular one had passed he ran into the bedroom as fast as he could. Not caring about being tidy he pulled his things out of his bag, flinging them in every direction, as he searched for the Tryptophan tablets that he kept with him at all times.

He managed to get a few out before the bottle went flying on to the floor due to the shaking of his hands. Swallowing them dry he sank to his knees, trying to bear the remaining seizures until the tablets took effect.

Alec was so out of it that he didn't hear the door open or notice someone else's presence until Sage crouched down next to him. He heard Sage offer to get his aunt, a doctor, but a doctor was the last thing Alec wanted to see right then so he assured Sage that it was ok.

"What's the matter with you?" Sage asked.

"I've got something wrong with me," Alec told him. "The chemicals in my brain are messed up and go haywire on me sometimes. These pills make it better after a while."

Sage nodded his head and set about picking up the spilt tablets. "Tryptophan," he read off of the label. "That's what's in milk."

Alec smiled in surprise. "How'd you know that?" he asked.

"My aunt's a doctor," Sage repeated. "She tells you why a glass of milk helps when you can't sleep."

"I can't sleep either, sometimes," Alec admitted, he was still convulsing but not as violently, he could feel the tablets taking effect.

"I don't really like to," Sage whispered. Alec questioned him and he shrugged. "Bad dreams," he replied vaguely.

"I get those too," Alec said softly.

"What of?"

"People chasing me. Hurting the people that I love."

Sage told him that he was always hiding in his dreams, trying to get away but never being able to get away. Alec understood what Sage meant, he rarely told people about them, but ever since they escaped Alec's dreams had been plagued by nightmares, usually of Jack or Logan getting hurt.

Sage sat back against the wall opposite Alec and looked at him in concern. Alec knew that he was still shaking slightly. "Are you sure you don't want me to go get her?" he offered again.

Alec smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm positive."

"Why not?" Sage asked. "When people are sick they usually want a doctor."

"It's complicated," Alec said dismissively. "A secret."

Sage confessed to having a secret as well. Part of Alec was saying that it was nothing compared to what his secret was but the rest of him wanted to know it. Sage offered up a bargain with Alec, that Sage would tell his secret if Alec revealed his.

Alec laughed and shook his head. "Nah, no way, kid," he said. "But it's was a good try though."

x

"God," Alec chuckled, downing another glass of milk. "I don't think I've drunk this much milk in ages."

Alec watched as some guy came up to Sage and tried to pull him away from Alec. It was obvious to the transgenic that BC didn't want Sage talking to him and he wanted to know why. "Are you done with the table?" he asked the guy next to him.

"It's all yours," the guy replied.

"Come on," Alec said to Sage, grabbing his glass of milk and heading over to the pool table. "Let's see if there's a pool player in you."

Halfway through the game, Alec was showing Sage how to make the perfect shot. "Hit it right there," he instructed. Sage did as he was told and the cue ball rolled across the table, knocking a red into the pocket perfectly. "Hey, you," he grinned standing upright and seeing Logan approaching them.

"Hey," Logan replied. "Got your note," he added.

"Logan, you remember Sage," Alec introduced him.

"Sure I do," Logan nodded.

"You find who you were looking for?" Alec asked quietly as Sage took another shot.

"Turned out he wasn't the guy I thought he was," Logan sighed.

"Oh," Alec said, "so can you enjoy yourself now?" he asked, a smirk on his face. The smirk disappeared when he felt another sharp pain in his neck.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked in concern, knowing what was wrong with his lover.

Alec nodded his head with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm fine," he added when Logan didn't look convinced as he leant over to take the shot. "He knows." He glanced over at Sage before he potted the black. "Sorry, kid. My game." Alec turned to Logan and raised an eyebrow. "You fancy a game?" he asked.

"My break?" Alec nodded his head. "Okay," Logan agreed, "but don't come crying to me when I beat your ass."

x

When Alec awoke the next morning the bed was unsurprisingly empty. He got dressed and headed out into the living area to find Logan sitting on the counter top, cooking breakfast.

"Morning," he greeted, crossing the room and placing a good morning kiss on Logan's lips.

"Morning," Logan grinned, "you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"I'm not really hungry," Alec shrugged, making a bee-line for the refrigerator and pouring himself a glass of milk.

"They still bad?" Logan asked in concern.

Alec shrugged, drinking the whole glass in one gulp. "No worse than usual," he replied.

"Have you been taking the tablets?" Logan questioned.

"Yes, mom," Alec rolled his eyes. "It's just, my head's killing and I'm practically tripping up over my own feet."

Logan's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen you do that," he commented.

"Guess I need my fifty-thousand mile check-up," Alec smirked. "I'm going to go outside, get some fresh air," he continued. "After breakfast do you want to go for a walk or something?" he asked.

Logan grinned, "Or something," he replied.

Alec laughed and kissed the top of Logan's head. "Fine by me," he whispered before he let himself out of the cottage.

x

The view was beautiful from where they were. The lake glistened in the early morning sunlight as Alec stood on the hill, looking out over it. He frowned when he noticed the small cemetery in front of him. He could see that, standing amongst the gravestones, was Sage.

"Friend of yours?" Alec asked as he walked over to where Sage was standing in front of one particular gravestone.

"Sort of," Sage replied.

"What do you mean sort of?" Alec smiled.

Sage's gaze didn't move from the gravestone in front of him. "Remember when I said I had a secret?" Alec replied that he did. Sage looked up at him and made him promise not to tell the others. "I see him sometimes," Sage admitted. "At night."

"You mean, when you're dreaming?" Alec asked in confusion.

Sage shook his head. "No," he disagreed. "He's in my room."

"A ghost?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination playing tricks on me," Sage sighed with a small shrug. "Because I know the story." Alec's curiosity peaked and he asked what story Sage meant. "How he died."

x

"You brought me out here in the middle of the night to do a spot of grave robbing?" Logan asked incredulously. "Alec, this is insane."

"How else do you explain it?" Alec asked as he continued digging. "I'm telling you, Logan. There isn't a body in this grave, I know it. It would explain why BC and his goons don't want Sage talking to me."

"How do you know that?" Logan asked, steadying the flashlight he was holding.

"The looks they've been giving me," Alec wiping his sleeve across his forehead. "And earlier I saw Sage and he had a busted nose."

"That was when you saw the burn marks on his body and hand?" Logan asked.

Alec nodded his head. "The burn mark on his hand was the same pattern as the door handle I found back at the burnt up house." He pulled apart the casket lid and smirked over his shoulder at Logan. "I told you so. It's empty. Sage is Sam Gilan."

x

After lighting the fire in the sitting room Alec made his way into the kitchen to grab something to drink. Halfway there he gasped in pain and fell into the wall.

"Al, you ok?" Logan asked in concern.

"Yeah," Alec gasped, still convulsing as they heard a car pull up outside.

Logan moved over to the window before moving over towards Alec. "We've got company. Take him in the bedroom and stay there, ok?" he instructed, turning his head and looking Sage. Alec looked at him and opened his mouth to argue. "Al, you aren't well enough. Just do it."

Alec sighed and walked down the hallway with Sage. Halfway there he doubled over again in pain and Sage had to put his arm around him and help Alec the rest of the way.

As soon as Alec heard the gunfire he tried to jump up, out of the bed, only to fall back down again almost right away. Sage helped him back onto the bed, even though Alec wanted nothing more than to go and help his lover.

Alec cried out in pain as the convulsions got worse. "I don't know what's making them worse," he complained when Logan arrived at his side.

"Me neither," Logan admitted, wiping sweat off of his lovers forehead.

"It'll pass," he cringed. "They always do eventually."

"Yeah, eventually," Logan sighed. "But in the mean time, neither of us are in a very good position to make an escape."

"They're coming back," Alec cried.

"I'll be ready for them," Logan said firmly. "But you're getting out of here," he turned to face Sage.

"I'm not leaving," Sage said adamantly.

"Listen to him," Alec instructed.

"I'm done hiding, Alec," Sage said looking at his new friend. "I don't wanna do it any more."

"You've made him stubborn haven't you?" Logan smirked at his lover.

x

"That was some nice shooting, Tex," Alec smirked, opening the passenger side door and climbing into the car.

Logan rolled his eyes and started the engine. "Looks like you made yourself a friend as well," he commented.

"What can I say?" Alec grinned. "I'm a people person," he added, moving his seat further back so he could comfortably put his feet up on the dashboard.

"So," Logan said, "am I going to be the receiving end of a blow job again?" he asked.

Alec laughed and shook his head, "Nope," he replied, grinned even wider when Logan looked put out. "Cos I decided to help Sage I've got some reading to catch up with," he informed Logan, pulling his book out of the glove compartment and settling back to read it.


	18. Shorties In Love

Alec stretched out on Logan's bed, sighing in contentment. Jack was at crash, keeping Max away from Logan's for as long as possible. Jack had firmly told them that he didn't want to know why he was keeping Max away.

Logan entered the bedroom, pausing in surprise when he saw Alec sprawled naked on his sheets, his erect cock jutting away from his stomach proudly.

"If I'd known this was going to greet me when I got home, I would have got home sooner," Logan commented.

Alec smirked and rose off of the bed. "It's okay," he whispered, leaning down to kiss Logan. "You're here now. That's what matters." Alec reached down and pulled Logan's jacket off. "Although," Alec attacked the buttons on the older man's shirt, "if you had been any longer I would have started concentrating on myself."

Logan moaned at the mental images Alec was producing. "Just stop talking and get on that bed," he instructed.

"Sir, yes, sir," Alec saluted, creating a funny picture of a naked soldier. Logan rolled his eyes as Alec climbed onto the bed, sprawling out in a way that made him look like some kind of obscene angel. "Come get me, big boy," Alec smirked. He lifted his hips up invitingly to Logan.

x

Alec looked up when his transgenic senses picked up someone entering the apartment. He half-smiled when he saw Max raise a finger to her lips, indicating for him to be quiet. He knew that Logan would kill him for not giving the other man warning, but he was feeling particularly feisty so he didn't say a word.

Max leaned over, looking at what Logan was writing. Logan started when he noticed someone looking over his shoulder.

"I didn't know you wrote poetry," Max commented.

"It's not poetry," Logan replied, closing the writing book, hiding whatever words he had been scribbling from Max.

Max, being the person that she was, snatched the book off of Logan before he could move it away from her. "Sure looks like poetry to me."

Alec, from where he was sitting on the floor in the corner, could tell that his lover was starting to lose his patience as Logan asked for the book back.

Max sighed and handed him the book back. "You paged me?" she asked, getting on track.

"Yeah," Logan replied, turning to face his computer. "Can you get Jack?" he asked Alec over his shoulder.

Max turned to look at Alec with a questioning look on her face. "Ten guesses where he is," Alec commented, hauling himself to his feet. "Jack!" Alec shouted. "Get your ass out of that kitchen now!"

A few seconds later Jack came into the room, a sandwich in one hand, glaring at Alec. "What's next for Eyes Only Inc.?" he asked, ignoring Alec and looking at Logan.

Logan smiled at Jack's question before returning to business. "Pierpont Lemkin, the go-to guy from the Marbury Cartel."

"I met Original Cindy's ex tonight," Max interrupted, her eyes drifting over to Alec.

"That's nice," Logan replied sarcastically before changing the subject again, "because Lemkin is paying off the sector police so he can run arms unchecked."

Max clearly wasn't paying attention. "Sketchy was so disappointed that he missed them making out."

Logan nodded his head, the expression on his eyes clearly saying that he wasn't remotely interested in what she was saying. "They're behind the heist of nuclear warheads from March Air Force Base."

"What is it with guys and lesbians anyway?" Max asked abruptly. "What's so damn fascinating about being unwanted by the opposite sex?"

"I'm not fascinated by two girls getting it on," Jack told her in between bites.

Logan sighed in annoyance and leant back in his chair. "Have any of you been listening to what I just said?" he asked.

"Every word," all three of them chorused.

"Well, please can you concentrate," Logan asked, looking around. "We need to take him down fast."

"Sorry," Alec apologized for all of them, putting a hand on Logan's shoulder in a seemingly friendly gesture. "What do you need?"

"His records," Logan answered. "Who he pays and how much. It'll all be on this disk. A guy in his inner circle got me the encryption algorithm to bust the code but without the disks it's kind of useless."

"Why don't you get your guy to get them for you?" Jack suggested.

"Kind of hard when you've been executed," Logan shrugged his shoulders. "His mom got sent his dead body."

"Nice," the three of them chorused.

"He did get me the combination to the safe," Logan continued.

"So this is a box job?" Max asked.

"Yeah," Logan agreed.

"Well, I can do that on my own," Max shrugged. "I'm assuming it was just me that you paged."

Logan nodded his head. "I'm beginning to doubt whether these two actually have an apartment of their own," he smirked indicating to Alec and Jack who were conversing between the two of them.

Jack lifted his head. "I'm only here for the food," he replied, causing everyone else in the room to laugh.

x

"Did you know about Original Cindy's ex?" Logan asked after Max had left that evening.

Alec nodded his head as he drank the coffee from the cup that he was holding. "Yeah," he replied. "Diamond. She was on the scene a few years ago, just after we," he indicated to himself and Jack, "arrived her. She's trouble."

"How so?" Logan asked curiously, putting his pencil behind his ear and pressing a few keys on the keyboard.

"She was always on the wrong side of things with cops," Jack replied. "Had a habit of drawing a lot of attention from sector police." Logan looked at Jack curiously, silently asking how he knew it. "Just because I don't work at Jam Pony doesn't mean I don't hang with them," Jack pouted.

"That was when we kinda stopped hanging for a while," Alec picked up again. "At least until Diamond disappeared. It was just too dangerous," he shrugged.

x

Alec stepped out from behind the door just as Max left. "You told her that her name is in your poems?" he asked incredulously.

"If I had replied that I don't write poetry she would have kept bugging me about if for days, knowing that I was lying," Logan shrugged, picking up his weights and continuing doing more arm exercises. "What was I supposed to say? 'You're right, I do right poems but none of them are about you. They're all about Alec and his sexy body'. I have a feeling that might give away our little secret." Logan rolled his eyes.

"They're about me?" Alec asked in surprise, he hadn't known that.

Logan smiled bashfully at him, putting down one of the weights and pulling Alec closer. "Of course," he whispered, kissing Alec softly. "Who else would they be about?"

x

"Diamond?" Alec repeated, glancing over at Logan with a look that said 'told you she was trouble'.

"Original Cindy's new, old, former, on-again girlfriend?" Logan asked Max.

"Big surprise - she's trouble," Max agreed. "Did you know about this?" she asked Alec.

Alec shifted. "Sort of," he admitted. "Last time she was here, weird things kept happening around her. Like things would go missing so after a while we stopped hanging out, until she disappeared again."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Max demanded.

"I was hoping she's turned over a new leaf," Alec shrugged. "Something else bothering you?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Max nodded, getting back on track. "Does the name Synthedyne mean anything to you?" she asked, looking at Logan.

"Yeah," Logan sighed. "Started out as a pharmaceutical company in the late 1990s." He pressed a couple of buttons and a few images flashed up on the computer screen.

"Synthedyne made billions during the influenza outbreak of 2011," Jack read over Logan's shoulder.

Logan nodded his head. "They stockpiled vaccine and then sold it on the black market at inflated prices."

"Who's the CEO?" Alec asked.

An image appeared. "Satan," Max answered for Logan. "We've met," she shrugged at everyone's look.

"You have had a busy night," Jack commented.

"You could say that," Max agreed. "He kept asking me loads of questions about Diamond. Man's on a mission for Miss Thing."

"Why would Croal care about Diamond?" Logan thought aloud.

"That's one of the things we have to figure out," Alec said, shaking his head.

x

"Why didn't Max want us to go with her?" Alec asked Logan, as he curled into the older man's side.

"Original Cindy is her best friend," Logan replied, running his hand through Alec's hair. "She wanted to do what she felt needed to be right. And to her it felt right to rescue OC on her own. You would have done the same thing if Jack was in danger."

Alec nodded his head. "I would have killed someone if it had been either you or Jack that had been kidnapped. I'd die if anything happened to either of you," he whispered.

"I'd die if anything happened to you either," Logan whispered, pressing a kiss against the top of Alec's head - not even wanting to think about losing Alec. "I love you so much, Alec. Never forget that."


	19. Pollo Loco

Alec's pager beeping woke him up from a deep sleep. It was his first day off for months and Alec had intended to spend most, if not all, of the day sleeping before heading over to Logan's to see if the other man needed his help with anything.

Logan, apparently, had other plans, Alec noticed as his number flashed up on the screen. Yawning, Alec fumbled on the bedside table for his cell. "What?" he asked sleepily, too tired to care about pleasantries.

"I need to see you," Logan's voice said urgently.

"Logan, it's nine in the morning on my day off. Can't this wait for at least on hour?" Alec yawned.

"Alec," Logan said, sounding more urgent. "I need to see you. Now."

Alec sighed tossing back the covers and climbing out from under them. "Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes but if I look like shit it's your fault."

x

"What's so important it couldn't wait until lunch time?" Alec demanded, stalking into Logan's apartment a short while later, looking as tired as he felt.

Logan rolled his wheelchair out of the study with a sombre look on his face. "You need to see this," he told Alec.

"A 'good morning, I'm sorry I woke you up' kiss would be nice," Alec said, following Logan into the study.

"Alec," Logan said, settling in front of his computer, "I'm being serious. Max asked me to put feelers out; she wants to know that not just you guys escaped safely," Logan pressed a few keys, bringing up a coroners report. "Dr Shankar called me about a Caucasian male with a barcode on the back of his neck. Max recognised him."

"Who was it?" Alec asked quietly, feeling slightly sad that one of his brothers had fallen.

Logan pressed a few more keys and a picture of a barcode flashed onto the screen. "Ben," Alec whispered, sitting down heavily on Logan's desk chair.

"I'm sorry, Alec," Logan said quietly, placing his hand on Alec's leg.

"Do you have any pictures of his face?" Alec asked quietly.

"Al," Logan said, "are you sure you…"

"Logan," Alec interrupted, "he's my brother."

"I know," Logan agreed, "but are you sure you'll be able to handle seeing him?" he asked, taking hold of Alec's hand.

Alec nodded his head, "I need to see him."

Logan, not releasing Alec's hand, pressed another key which brought Ben's face up onto the screen. Alec was silent as he stared at the screen for a few moments. "That's not Ben," Alec said quietly, sighing in relief.

Logan looked at him in surprise. "What?" he asked. "Alec," he said softly, "I know it's a shock but it has been a long time."

"Logan," Alec said, shaking his head, "that isn't him," he smiled.

"He has Ben's barcode," Logan said softly.

Alec sighed, "Logan, that's not Ben," he repeated. "We're identical twins. If that was Ben it'd look like I was on there."

"If it's not Ben why does he have the barcode?" Logan questioned, sounding disturbed at the thought of Alec being in the guy's place.  
Alec shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea," he smiled slightly.

"Max thinks it's him," Logan told him.

"She's wrong," Alec said. "How did he die?"

"His neck was snapped, his left arm was bent in an unnatural way. His teeth were,"

"Ripped out," Alec finished, without thinking.

Logan looked at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"

Alec swallowed, mentally kicking himself for his slip up. "Ben was obsessed with the 'blue lady' and he managed to convince everyone that pulling teeth would please her. My guess is that he's still trying to please her." Alec stood up.

"Where are you going?" Logan asked, looking up at him.

"If Ben's as predictable as I think he is, I know where he'll be," Alec said, grinning down at Logan before bracing himself with one hand on each side of the wheelchair. "I haven't seen him for eight years," he told Logan, "we bumped into each other two years after we got out. If he's in Seattle I need to see him,"

Alec leant closer, capturing Logan's lips. "I won't be long," he whispered.

Logan threaded his fingers through Alec's hair. "Be careful," he said quietly.

"I will," Alec swore kissing Logan once more before letting himself out of the apartment.

x

The church was empty when Alec got there, except a few people who were waiting for confessional. Alec sat in one of the pews and looked straight ahead, he knew that it wouldn't be long before Ben turned up, if he was correct.

"Alec," Ben's voice said softly after about an hour as Ben sat next to him.

"Ben," Alec greeted turning his head to look at Ben. He had been right, they were exactly identical. The same spiky blond/brown hair, the same facial structure, the same eyes; every feature was identical.

"How long have you been in Seattle?" Ben asked, not turning his head; his gaze still firmly held by the statue of the 'blue lady' at the front.

"About three years," Alec answered. "Me and Jack managed to scour ourselves an apartment."

"How is he?" Ben asked. "Jack."

"He's okay," Alec told him. "Why are you doing this, Ben?" he asked after a few moments.

"She's calling to me," Ben told him. "Killing people is the only way to please Her."

"Do you really think that taking innocent peoples lives is going to satisfy Her?" Alec asked.

Ben nodded his head. "The lady is telling me who's worthy enough and who isn't. She lead me to Seattle."

"You do know that cops and sector police are after you, don't you?" Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Even Lydecker's trying to find you. Probably wants to take you back to Manticore."

Ben paled, "You're not going to hand me over to him are you?" he asked, sounding like the scared eleven year old he had been when Alec had last seen him. Alec shook his head. "Why?" Ben asked in surprise.

"Why haven't you killed me already?" Alec countered with his own question.

"Because you're my brother," Ben told him.

"Exactly," Alec smiled. "I'm not going to tell anyone where you are because you're my brother but Lydecker's smart. He'll be onto you pretty quickly and Max will too. Just be careful, ok?" he asked standing up.

Ben rose as well and turned to face Alec. "Thank you, Al," he said quietly. "I know you never really believed in The Lady but thank you for understanding that this is important to me."

"Just watch your back, B," Alec smiled sadly, using the nickname he had used for Ben when they were younger.

"I will," Ben replied embracing Alec briefly.

As Alec left the church he found himself offering up a silent prayer, pleading for 'The Lady' to protect Ben.

x

"Did you find him?" Logan asked as Alec entered the apartment. The relief both in Logan's expression and voice told Alec that the other man had been worrying about him since the transgenic left for the church. Alec nodded his head, heading into the lounge and throwing himself down onto the couch, his face buried into the cushions. "And?" Logan persisted.

"I found him, okay?" Alec replied shortly.

"Did you manage to talk him out of it?"

"I never said that I was going to do that," Alec retorted, cracking an eye open.

"So what did you talk to him about then?" Logan demanded.

"I found out why he's doing what he's doing," Alec told Logan. "He's trying to please Her," he added at Logan's questioning look.

" 'The Lady'?" Alec nodded his head. "What were you thinking letting him walk out of the there without turning himself over to the cops?"

"He's my brother, Logan," Alec replied, his voice rising slightly. "Would you have been able to turn your own brother over for them to do - god knows what - to?"

"If he was hurting innocent people I would," Logan said, the volume of his own voice matching Alec's.

"God," Alec sighed, stalking over to the window. "I should have known you wouldn't understand."

"What I don't understand, Alec," Logan rolled himself across the room towards his scowling lover, "is how you can let him carry on outside; putting more innocent people's likes at risk." Logan paused for a moment, seemingly collecting his thoughts. "What if he thinks you're going to tell people where he is? He was trained to eliminate the enemy before they could attack, you know that. You could be his next victim."

"I won't be," Alec argued, trying to assure Logan that Ben wouldn't hurt him. "He's my brother. That's how I know he won't do anything to me; the same reason he knows that I'm not going to tell anyone."

x

Alec lay on his bed the next day, his mind running through the argument he and Logan had had as a result of Alec's decision regarding Ben. Alec and Logan had argued for maybe another half hour before Alec had completely lost his temper and stormed out of Logan's apartment.

They hadn't spoken to each other since and, no matter how much they meant to each other, Alec's stubbornness would not let him be the one to apologize.

He looked up when he heard a knock on the door. Sighing deeply, he picked himself up off the couch and opened the door. His first thought upon seeing Logan was that the other man had realised that Alec was right. But as the transgenic looked closer at Logan's face he knew that something bad had happened to Ben - he wasn't sure how, exactly, he knew; he just did.

"No," Alec whispered, releasing the door and taking a few steps backwards. "Ben."

Logan propped the door open with his hand and somehow managed to wheel himself into the room, allowing the door to fall closed behind him, just as Alec collapsed on the floor.

Alec practically crawled towards Logan and put his head in the hazel eyed man's lap. Logan didn't say anything, he just ran his fingers through his lover's hair. Alec lifted his head after some time; five minutes or fifty? He didn't know. He looked up at Logan, who was almost immediately whisked back in time to when he and Alec had first met; Alec had barely been more than a scared teenager.

"How?" Alec sniffled wiping his hand across his cheek.

"He was injured," Logan told him softly. "He didn't want Lydecker to take him back to Manticore. He begged Max to kill him to save them both. It was what he asked for, Alec. I'm so sorry," Logan whispered. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" he questioned.

Alec shook his head, his fingers clutching onto the material of Logan's trousers as if the other man was his life line. "Stay with me," he pleaded.

Logan hesitated; he knew that whenever Alec was upset at someone, or the world in general, the transgenic liked to have rough sex to forget that anything other than he and Logan existed. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Alec."

Alec looked up at him, his eyes large and pleading. "Please, Logan," he practically begged. "I don't want to be on my own. Just hold me. Please."

Logan smiled sadly. "That I can do," he whispered, running his hands through Alec's hair.


	20. I Am and I Am A Camera

Max paused on her way to the door and turned back to Logan. "Dinner tonight?"

Logan grimaced and replied, "Another time."

He had his back to Max so wasn't worried about her seeing his expression. "Are you okay? You seem a little preoccupied."

"I'm fine," Logan replied dismissively. "I've just got things on my mind."

"Whatever," Max shrugged, heading for the exit.

As she got out of the elevator on the ground floor she passed Alec who was heading into Logan's apartment carrying a grocery bag.

"Hey," Alec greeted. "Is Logan home?"

Max nodded her head. "Sitting in the same place he always is. In front of the computer. Has he ever moved?"

Alec smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "You know what he's like when it comes to the Informant Net."

"Yeah," Max sighed before she said goodbye to Alec and left the building.

When Alec arrived in Logan's office he noticed that the other man was looking down at something in front of him.

"Hey," Alec greeted.

Logan looked up in surprise, his hands going to cover what he had been looking at. "Hi," he greeted, slipping the papers into a drawer.

Alec leant down to press a soft kiss against Logan's lips. He frowned when Logan pulled away before Alec could deepen it. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

Logan nodded his head and smiled at him, although Alec noticed the smile seemed a little forced. "What have you got?" Logan asked, reaching up to take the bag off of Alec before the transgenic could say anything else.

"They're from Jack," Alec replied.

"Tell him I said thanks," Logan said, handing the bag back to Alec and wheeling himself into the kitchen.

Alec followed him and placed the bag on the counter. He leant back and watched as Logan set about making something to eat.

Logan's attention was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't notice Alec slip out of the room and into the study.

Alec knew that it was an invasion of his lover's privacy but he also knew that whatever was in the drawer was the reason why Logan was acting so cold to him.

He paused to listen to what Logan was doing, when he didn't hear anything unusual Alec slowly pulled the drawer open and withdrew the file Logan had been reading.

Alec flipped open the portfolio and stared in horror at the pictures that were revealed. The majority of them were of Max but there were others with several people in them. Alec could see that he was in a couple of them - him and Ben. They all had blood dripping down their faces and splattered across their clothes.

"What are you doing?" Logan demanded from behind Alec.

Alec whirled around in surprise. "What the hell are these?" Alec demanded, lifting the pictures up.

"You went through my drawers?" Logan countered with his own question.

"Answer me! Where the hell did you get these!" Alec shouted back.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Lydecker!" Logan shouted.

Alec paused and looked down at Logan. "Lydecker?" he repeated quietly. "You've been in contact with him?"

Logan sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Eyes Only got in touch with him."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know what? Cut the 'Eyes Only' crap! I know who Eyes Only is for God's sake!"

"Fine!" Logan snapped. "I've been in touch with Lydecker. I wanted to know why Ben killed those guys like he did. Since you didn't want to tell me the truth!"

"So instead of bugging me about it, you went behind my back to the person that wants me dead?" Alec replied. "How could you?" he asked, tears forming in his brown eyes. "You know how dangerous it is to be contact with him. What if your hack had been traced?"

"It wasn't," Logan replied. "The hack's are untraceable."

"You don't know that for definite," Alec argued. "Someone somewhere is bound to have good enough technology to trace it."

"What's your point?" Logan sighed, looking up at Alec wearily.

"My point is, that you put my life in danger!" Alec replied, raising his voice again. "It wasn't enough to betray me but you had to lie about it. You know what?" Alec asked rhetorically, "If you don't care about my life, then I really don't give a toss about yours."

Alec flung the photo's he was still holding onto the floor and stormed out of the room.

x

Jack got home from work the next day to find that the apartment was still in as much of a mess as it had been when he had left that morning. Alec had taken the day off work, telling Normal that he was feeling a little under the weather and telling Jack that he needed a break and would stay home to tidy the apartment.

"Al!" Jack called, crossing the room and trying Alec's door. He frowned when he found that it was locked. "Alec?" he shouted louder, through the wood.

"What?" Alec replied groggily.

Jack could tell he had been sleeping. "Are you okay?" he demanded. "Why is your door locked?" he added.

"I wanted to be alone," Alec replied.

Jack heard footsteps on the other side and the door was opened. Jack sighed, seeing Alec's bloodshot eyes. It was obvious to the blond transgenic that Alec had spent all day crying. "What did he do now?" Jack asked, putting his hands on his hips, knowing that there was only one man in all of Seattle that could make Alec cry.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Alec muttered, pushing past Jack and heading to the bathroom where he promptly locked himself in.

Jack banged on the door lightly but Alec ignored him and a few moments later Jack heard the shower turn on (the shower which was powered by the water heater Logan had bought them).

Jack sighed and lowered his head. He turned when he heard the door to the apartment open. He glared slightly when he saw Logan enter the apartment. He didn't know what was going on between them but he knew that Alec was hurting because of Logan. "You could have knocked," he commented.

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I figured that you guys break into my apartment so often, me doing it once wouldn't hurt. Where is he?" he asked, looking around and not seeing Alec.

Jack cocked his head in the direction of the bathroom. "I don't know the hell is going on between you two and I'm not going to ask. I never thought I'd say this to you, Logan, but Alec's hurt bad. Whatever's going on fix it. But if you hurt him even worse, I swear to god I'll kill you. Alec is my brother. It's my job to protect him. I'm going to Crash," he added and took off before Logan could say anything.

Logan sighed, knowing how much shit he was in this time. If Alec didn't kill him, Jack would. Instead of banging on the door demanding that Alec come out, Logan decided to wait until Alec finished in the shower.

Logan didn't have to wait long because about five minutes after Jack had left Alec came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

He froze when he saw Logan blocking his path to his room. "What the fuck are you doing here? Get out!" Alec snarled.

"No," Logan replied firmly. "I've come to apologize."

"You think an apology's going to cut it?" Alec laughed sardonically.

"I know it's not," Logan sighed. "But I don't want to lose you, Alec. I love you so much. More than anything in this world. Please," he begged.

The hard look in Alec's eyes faded slightly but otherwise his facial expression didn't change and he remained silent. Logan reached around and pulled a photograph out of his backpack. Alec saw that it was a photograph from the file and was of him and Jack.

Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. "I know you think that I hate you because of these," Logan said, flicking the lighter open and holding it to the bottom of the photograph. "But you're wrong," he added as the photo caught fire. When the flames had engulfed most of photograph Logan dropped it onto a plate. "I know I was out of order getting in touch with Lydecker and there really is no excuse. I do care about you, Alec. I would never intentionally put you in danger like that. Please. You have to believe me."

Alec sighed and lowered himself to the ground, leaning back against the counter. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he looked at Logan. "I don't know what to think. You know we've had our arguments in the past but we've managed to get over them."

"And we can get over this," Logan assured him.

"Can we?" Alec asked sadly. "I've never felt so... betrayed."

Logan moved across the room so that he was in front of Alec. He lowered himself from the chair so that he was sitting on the floor next to Alec. "I know," he whispered. Logan hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arm around Alec.

Instead of fighting against Logan, Alec fell into Logan's arms and leant against his chest. He frowned when he felt something in Logan's jacket pocket. "What's that?" he whispered, pulling back.

Logan flushed. "I bought this earlier," he replied, pulling out a long box. "I'm not trying to buy you or anything but I wanted to give you something that showed you I really do love you."

Logan handed the box to Alec, who opened it to reveal a simple black necklace. Alec lifted it out of the box. There was a plain round disk hanging from it, on it was an inscription.

" 'Alec, I will always love you, Logan'," Alec read aloud.

"I mean it," Logan told him. "I love you so much." He took the necklace off of Alec and unfastening the clasp.

Alec leant forward so that Logan could fasten the necklace around his neck. Alec sighed softly and leant back against Logan's chest.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Logan asked softly.

Alec lifted his head and kissed Logan softly on the lips before putting his head back on Logan's shoulder.

x

Jack opened the door hesitantly a few hours later. He paused when he didn't hear any sounds coming from Alec's room. He couldn't see any blood either, which he figured was a good thing.

He stepped into the apartment, closing and locking the door. He paused when he saw Logan and Alec sitting on the floor. Alec was asleep in Logan's arms and Logan's hazel were flickering open sleepily.

"Oh, good," Jack said, "I don't have to kill you."

Logan grinned at him. "Thankfully not," he replied. He carefully shifted Alec so that he was leaning back against the cabinet. Jack helped Logan into his chair. "Can you get him into the bedroom?" Logan questioned.

"Easily," Jack chuckled. He carefully bent down and scooped Alec into his arms.

Logan followed Jack and watched as he set Alec gently down on the bed. "Listen," Jack said, turning to face Logan, "about what I said earlier."

Logan held his hand up, "Don't say you didn't mean it. I know you, Jack. You were looking out for Alec. That's what brother's do. You should have kicked my ass, not just threatened to."

Alec moved on the bed and mumbled something incoherent. Jack chuckled. "I'll let you get some sleep," he said, patting Logan on the shoulder as he left Alec alone with Logan.

Logan got onto the bed and pulled Alec into his arms. Alec mumbled something else as he shifted closer to Logan.

Logan smiled and pressed a gentle kiss on the top of Alec's head before he fell back asleep.


	21. Hit A Sista Back

The first thing Alec heard when he pushed the door to Logan’s apartment open was a low whining. It reminded him of a dentist, which in turn reminded him of Ben and instantly put him on edge.

Sipping his messenger bag over his shoulder and dropping it to the floor silently, he crept down the corridor, following the sound of the whirring.

It was only when he got closer to the office door that he realised the sound was coming from inside, and now that he was closer he could hear Logan talking to someone in a voice which was too low for him to make out the words.

Sighing to himself, Alec straightened up and pushed the door open. Logan was in the centre of the room, his chair pressed as close to the low work bench as he could get. He was hunched over some piece of alien looking technology, while someone chattered away on one of the computer screens in the background.

Neither Logan nor the caller noticed Alec’s arrival, so he took the opportunity to lean against the door frame and observe his boyfriend freely for a change. “It sounds like you’re going to need to replace the servo controller,” he caller informed Logan and Alec frowned deeply. He had a pretty decent amount of tech knowledge and even he had no idea what a servo controller was.

Logan, however, didn’t seem confused by this piece of information. He only seemed irritated at the announcement. “Well I can’t exactly call the Pentagon and requisition a new one, can I, Sebastian?”

His snappy response didn’t seem to deter the caller – Sebastian, Alec’s slightly sluggish brain pointed out. Yet another reminder of why he’d swung by Logan’s so early; he was out of tryptophan, and knew Logan kept a spare stash hidden away for both him and Jack in case it was needed.

“You’re gonna have to improvise,” Sebastian continued. “Maybe pull the controller from the robotic arms they use to handle chemicals?”  
Logan rolled his eyes – how Alec knew that from across the room when the other man had his back to him, he had no idea. “And how much is that going to cost me?”

Sebastian smirked and Alec was struck with the sudden urge to jump inside the computer, simply to knock that look away. “Since when have you ever cared about money?”

The hazel eyed man rolled his shoulders, and Alec winced when his neck cracked. “Circumstances change. How much?” he reiterated.

“Eight. Maybe ten grand,” Sebastian answered with a shrug as though he was commenting on something small.

He and Logan conversed for a few more minutes, with Logan finishing with the bargaining chip of Sebastian getting the arm first, then he got the money, before the call was severed.

Once it was just the two of them, Alec whistled, a long drawn on out which made Logan jump in surprise.

“How long have you been there?” Logan demanded, lowering down the mechanical pencil he had been holding and turning his chair around to face Alec.

Ignoring his question, Alec stepped further into the room, allowing the sliding door to fall closed behind him. “See, I was wondering why you’d pay some idiot ten grand for something he might not even be able to get, when you have a professional cat burglar at your disposal,” Alec commented, walking about the work surface. “Two if you include Jack, but he’s not as quick on his feet as I am.”

Logan scowled and for a brief second Alec thought there was a hint of a pout about to break through, but it was gone before he knew it. “You know eaves dropping is considered rude,” he pointed out.

Alec shrugged non-committedly. “Manners were one of the first things I forgot as soon as I got out.”

“Don’t I know it,” Logan muttered, making Alec grin widely. “You weren’t supposed to find out about this yet,” he added, coming to a stop in front of Alec and looking up at him with disappointed eyes.

That threw Alec and he took a step back in surprise. “What?”

Logan huffed and ran a hand through his already spiky hair. “I was trying to surprise you,” he mumbled. “This is the exoskeleton from Phil -,”

“The vigilante?” Alec interrupted, earning himself a glare from Logan along with more muttering about the state of his manners.

“The motor burnt out, and I’m trying to fix it,” Logan continued, heaving a sigh and narrowing his eyes at the offending piece of technology. “But, it’s not as easy as I expected it to be.”

Alec raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” he said slowly. “But I’m not sure how that’s a surprise for me.” So he had a one track mind, sue him. 

A sly smile spread across Logan’s face. “I was planning on taking you out of Seattle soon,” he confessed. “Somewhere in the countryside where we can relax and go for walks, and just be alone.”

The Transgenic felt the air rush out of him at Logan’s admission and he felt lightheaded as he knelt down in front of Logan’s chair. “You don’t need to exoskeleton for that,” he pointed out, voice little more than a whisper.

“We can go for _walks_ , Alec,” Logan repeated in exasperation. “You need to be able to walk to do that. The exoskeleton – if I can fix it – is going to sort that problem for us.”

Logan was wearing his ‘I’m right so don’t argue with me’ face. Not that Alec had ever been deterred before, but this time he knew it was something felt strongly about. Besides Eyes Only, and Alec and Jack’s well-being, his lack of ability to walk was one of the things Alec knew constantly weighed on Logan’s mind.

Instead of answering, Alec knelt up so he could support himself with a hand on either side of Logan. “You’ll figure it out,” he whispered, leaning closer to press their lips together. “If there’s anyone who can, I’m sure it’s you.”

Against his lips, he could feel a small smile break through Logan’s otherwise serious expression. “Such faith,” Logan muttered, bringing his own hands up and burying his fingers in Alec’s hair.

Alec smirked, unable to stop himself from adding, “Besides, if you don’t manage it, I can always carry you?”

Luckily for Logan (and Alec’s head), the door to the apartment burst open and they barely had time to separate before the sliding door opened, revealing the one person Alec never wanted to see when he had a headache.

“Maxie,” he greeted wearily, leaning back on his heels and looking up at his fellow Transgenic.

If Max was surprised to see Alec sitting on the floor in front of Logan, she didn’t comment. Instead, she focused on what she was actually there to tell them. (First time for everything, Alec thought to himself).

“I need your help,” she announced, making both men frown in confusion, trying to work out which of them she was talking to. “Both of you,” Max added before either of them could ask.

Alec groaned and got to his feet. “If you need my full, undivided attention you’re going to have to hold that thought,” he advised. “My head is pounding and I have an appointment with a couple of Tryptophan twins.”

As he headed into the bathroom, he heard Max asking about the exoskeleton (and Logan’s vague answer). Swallowing one of the pills dry, Alec retched and had to force himself to not bring it back up. Before returning to Logan and Max, he took the second pill with a small mouthful of water which didn’t detract from the foulness of the tablet’s taste.

Returning to the study, he saw that Logan had moved away from the exoskeleton and was now sitting near his computer, poised and ready to input any information Max needed, while Max leant against one wall, watching him with want filled brown eyes.

When she noticed Alec was watching her, he felt a smug stab of satisfaction as her cheeks coloured in embarrassment. “So,” he said, perching on the edge of the desk next to Logan, close enough that his fingers would need to brush his hip if he needed to use the computer’s mouse. “What can we do you for, Max?”

“It’s Tinga,” she answered as though those words made everything make sense. And they did in a way, at least they did to Alec. Tinga had escaped with the rest of them back in ’09, but he hadn’t heard anything of her since. Just like he hadn’t heard anything about Ben until a few weeks earlier.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Alec forced himself to focus on Max’s words.

“She’s missing and I need your help to find her.”


	22. MEOW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains hints of het and infidelity.

Alec couldn’t sleep. This in itself wasn’t weird; in fact there were times when he had been known to go for days without ever falling into a bed. But the familiarity didn’t make it any less annoying for him and judging by the irritated look on Jack’s face, his best friend wasn’t feeling willing to put up with him prowling for much longer.

“For crying out loud, Al!” Jack exclaimed, finally snapping and abandoning the food Logan had prepared for him (a miracle in itself).

Alec winced and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I can’t help it,” he whined, not giving up on his pacing. 

Jack huffed and leant back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. A sympathetic look appeared on his face and that started to wind Alec up more than the irritation; he didn’t want anyone’s pity. Manticore were the only ones to blame for his screwed up genetics, not Jack, Logan or anyone else. “It’s really bad this time, isn’t it?” he whispered.

It was, but Alec didn’t want to admit that; not even to Jack. Jack was one of the lucky ones. His genetics were as perfect as Manticore could make them (he didn’t even experience the seizures Alec and Max did). Jack didn’t experience the itch a few times a year which could be scratched by one thing, and one thing only. 

Sex.

And, unluckily for Alec (and Jack by extension), Logan was out of the city on an Eyes Only mission. Which meant no getting laid for Alec.

“Why don’t you call Logan?” Jack suggested, reaching for his briefly discarded fork. “You know he’d be back here in a heartbeat if you asked.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “That’s why I’m not calling him,” he retorted. “He needs to concentrate on what he’s doing, not my screwed up DNA. Besides, I managed without him for the first sixteen years of my life. I’m pretty sure I can manage a few more days.”

Jack scoffed, but otherwise didn’t respond, instead he chose the safer option of pretending Alec wasn’t there and focusing on the food Logan had made him. (Deep down, Alec thought the older man suspected they were incapable of feeding themselves.)

To the credit of both of them, Alec lasted another ten minutes, before he snapped. “I’m going for a walk,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket from where he’d thrown it in a strop earlier.

Before he’d even shrugged the garment on, Jack was in front of him holding out his hands in an obvious move to placate him. “Whoa,” the shorter transgenic exclaimed. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Alec’s eyes narrowed, but Jack didn’t back down. “Al, you’re in the middle of… what’s the male version of heat?” the blond asked, before shaking himself and getting back on track. “You just need to wait it out a bit longer.”

A rush of air escaped Alec’s lungs in an irritated hiss. “Jack,” he said slowly, his voice lowering menacingly. “Either you move out of my way; or I take everything I’m feeling out on you,” he offered.

Jack didn’t move and for a brief, disbelieving second, Alec thought he was going to agree, but then he stepped to the side with a shake of his head. “You know, sometimes you can be such a little bitch,” he muttered, not even bothering to stop Alec leaving this time around.

Once he was out in the fresh air (well as close as you could get in Seattle post-Pulse), Alec immediately began to feel better. And more than a little guilty; it wasn’t Jack’s fault, he knew that, but he hadn’t been able to stop the words coming out of his mouth.

He briefly considered going back upstairs and apologising, or at least calling, but decided against it. Jack knew Alec well enough to know that he only meant half of what came out of his mouth. The apology would still be appreciated later, when he’d walked off what he was feeling.

The longer Alec was out in the cold air, the quicker the itch he needed to scratch returned. Jack had been right to try keep him in the apartment, but as far as Alec was concerned he was perfectly fine unless he ran into someone else experiencing…

“Alec!” A familiar female voice exclaimed from in front of him, forcing him to pay attention.

Max looked as bad as he felt, Alec noticed distractedly. But she smelt fantastic, the feline portion of his brain felt it necessary to add.

“Nice to know it’s not just me.” He had meant for the greeting to come out witty and sarcastic, but to his absolute horror the words sounded sultry and he was ninety percent certain he purred toward the end of the sentence.

It was wrong. Alec knew that, but by then he was more than a little past all reasoning of logic. Max didn’t even look surprised as Alec took a confident stride toward her. The male cat inside him was reacting to the scent of heat coming from her body, and judging by the look on her face, she more than appreciated his advances.

She grunted when her back hit the wall and Alec grinned, capturing her lips in his. This was what he needed, he realised. Someone who felt the pain of being in heat, and who knew what it felt like to need something so uncontrollably you couldn’t stop yourself.

Alec just never thought Max would be the one to scratch the itch he currently had.


	23. ...And Jesus Brought A Casserole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains the aftermath of infidelity and slight hints at self harm.

Alec’s skin was bleeding by the time Jack finally managed to break down the bathroom door. He mustn’t have been trying too hard; Alec was pretty sure the thin wooden door wouldn’t have posed a threat to his best friend.

“Fuck, Al,” Jack swore, not caring about being fully clothed as he jumped into the shower and shut off the water. It was clear he cared more about the fact that Alec was bleeding than he did about his friend being naked. “I read that when you draw blood, you’ve exfoliated enough.”

When Alec didn’t laugh, Jack’s frown deepened. “What happened?” he whispered, grabbing one of the softer towels and wrapped it around Alec’s shoulders – one of the few areas which weren’t bleeding so much.

“Manticore,” Alec choked out. The word got caught in his throat and he had to screw his eyes closed to stop himself from throwing up. “My stupid DNA,” he added to save Jack the effort of asking.

He didn’t elaborate, but Alec didn’t need to. Jack drew in a breath and Alec knew immediately that his friend understood exactly what he didn’t want to admit. “Who with?” There was no way Jack was stupid enough to think that Alec had turned to Logan for comfort; especially when they both knew the older man wasn’t in Seattle until the following day.

Alec screwed his eyes closed and pressed his lips together firmly with a shake of his head. He couldn’t say the name, he realised.

Unluckily for Alec, Jack knew him better than he knew himself and didn’t need to hear the name to understand the full weight of what had happened to Alec the night before. “Shit, Alec,” he breathed, letting the other man go. 

When Alec swayed briefly, Jack quickly grabbed hold of him again – this time not caring about avoiding the bloody spots on Alec’s skin.

“How did that happen?”

Alec shrugged a shoulder, swearing up a storm when the towel brushed against him. “Look, can we just pretend you said ‘I told you so’ and never talk about this again?” he grumbled.

Jack shook his head. “No,” he retorted, surprising Alec for a second. He could count on one hand the number of times Jack had stood up to him; Alec was the oldest and therefore had more seniority. “You need to talk to Logan.”

He was right, of course. Alec knew that. Even though he felt physically sick at the thought of seeing his boyfriend, they needed to deal with what Alec had done.

Alec just hoped he was man enough to accept the consequences of his actions.

*

Confessing his sins to Logan never happened. Alec could genuinely say that, when he had visited the other man’s apartment the following day, he had been going with a heavy heart and every desire to tell the truth about what happened.

When he got there and found himself face to face with Zack, Krit and Syl (as well as the one person he didn’t want to see – Max), all thoughts about what he had been meaning to say vanished from his brain.

They were planning on destroying the Manticore DNA lab, it turned out. Doing so would rid Manticore of their ability to create any more transgenics and would put the company out of business completely.

Alec had agreed to help immediately. He tried to rationalise that his decision had nothing to do with avoiding the inevitable confrontation between him and Logan, but even Alec couldn’t believe himself.

Max had suggested they ask Jack for help, but Alec had insisted that they leave him out of it. Jack had been created as a problem solver, not a soldier. There was no sense in getting him involved in something so dangerous when five of them could manage just fine.

*

Bullets were not part of the plan. Alec wasn’t an idiot; he knew there was no way a secret government facility was going to leave their perimeter unprotected with guards who had no weapons.

But for some reason, he’d never realised that during their assault on Manticore, the guns would be firing at them.

Max got hit first. Alec saw her take the bullet out of the corner of his eye. It hit her straight in the centre of the chest; she never stood a chance.

The obviously fatal bullet for Max almost turned into an almost equally damning injury for Alec. His distraction, however brief it may have been, allowed his pursuer to catch up and take aim.

Unlike with Max, they didn’t shoot to kill however. A white hot pain tore through the back of his thigh and Alec had to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from screaming. There was no way he was going to give them the satisfaction of hearing that.

Falling to the ground in a pained heap, unable to keep standing, there was only one thing running through Alec’s mind.

_Why couldn’t they have shot to kill?_


	24. Designate This (Part 1)

Three months.

X5-494 had been back inside Manticore for three months, two day and twelve hours exactly. During those months X5-494 had been subjected to seemingly endless hours of Psy-Ops, gruelling physical training he hadn’t experienced the likes of for years, and random bouts of solitary confinement whenever the guards felt like it. Just because they could.

It had been the longest three months of X5-494’s life.

“Eyes forward, 494!” the physical fitness instructor barked.

494 hadn’t realised his gaze had drifted, but he quickly snapped his eyes back to the front, focusing on the head of the X5 in front of him. He was a good soldier like that.

“Don’t let me catch you dozing again, 494.”

“Yes, sir,” he retorted, squaring his jaw as he stood to attention. 

He barely bit down the correction on his name. He wasn’t X5-494; he was more than a number, he had a name, dammit. A name they weren’t going to take from him no matter how hard they tried.

And that name was Alec McDowell.

*

The training courtyard and food hall were the only places Alec and Max were allowed to be in the same space at the same time. And it was never unsupervised. Occasionally they made eye contact across the space, but neither of them dared get closer. Too many eyes watched every move they all made; that was doubly so for Alec and Max, who were considered traitors to the Manticore name and brand.

Despite their history, the brief glimpse of Max each day made Alec remember that he did actually have a life outside the small seven by four cell he’d been assigned to.

It made coping with the hell of never seeing Jack or Logan again only slightly less unbearable.

Above his head, a light flickered on and Alec groaned, squeezing his eyes closed. He’d been drifting off to sleep – or something as close to sleep as his brain let him get these days – and the unwelcome light was not what he wanted right then.

The door slid open as he pushed himself into a sitting position in time to see another X5 step into view. She had long, waist length, brown hair and the bluest eyes Alec could ever remember seeing. He’d seen her in training, but since unauthorised liaising with others was against Manticore’s policy, he had no idea what her designation was.

Or, more importantly, what she was doing here.

“Can I help you?” he asked warily, a feeling of dread settling into his stomach when the door slid closed behind her.

Instead of answering, she raised an eyebrow. The look on her face suggested he was beyond stupid for not knowing what was going on. After a second she shook it off and focused once more. “We’re breeding partners.”

Well, that was different, Alec thought to himself. He’d never heard of there being ‘breeding partners’ during his last stint in Manticore; admittedly he had been ten at the time, but that was beside the point.

Alec chuckled nervously to himself and got to his feet. Before he could speak, she began to take her t-shirt off. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, holding out his hands to stop her. “Look, I’m sure you’re awesome and all that, but…” A blank look. “We don’t even know each other.”

She huffed and lowered her hands, releasing her t-shirt. “You’re X5-494,” she pointed out like it was supposed to mean something to him. “My designation is X5-978.”

“Doesn’t suit you,” Alec retorted.

978 growled low under her breath and Alec sniggered, deciding he’d found something to occupy his time until Max broke them both out.

How he knew she was working on an escape plan, Alec had no idea, but somehow he could just feel it.

That would be the kind of hare-brained thing Max would do.

*

Even though he had been expecting a rescue (not that he would ever admit that to Max – she didn’t need that kind of ego inflation), when the door to his cell slid open to reveal her like a game show prize three days later, Alec still felt surprised.

He had been expecting Penny – X5-978, whom he had renamed because she kept showing up like a bad penny (hey, he never said he was particularly witty) – for their bi-nightly ritual of glaring at each other across the cell. Neither of them wanted to participate in Manticore’s disgusting games, and neither wanted to be subjected to more punishment.

So they settled on glaring at each other across the cell, before lying about what had happened in the morning when questioned by Renfro.

“Are you planning on staying here?” Max hissed, tossing a look over her should before glaring at Alec.

Alec rolled his eyes. Three months of having no verbal communication with Max seemed to have made him forget how much the sound of her voice grated on his nerves.

It was amazing how quickly those feelings came rushing back.

Following her down the corridor, purposely making sure his footsteps remained silent, Alec begged, “Please tell me you actually have a plan to get out of here?”

When Max stopped at a dirty door which proclaimed to lead to the basement and smirked, he felt a growing feeling of dread inside of him. “How boring would life be if we planned everything?”

He was doomed.

*

Alec didn’t believe in miracles. Unlike his twin, Ben, he didn’t believe that there was a higher power out there who looked after them. But when he and Max escaped from Manticore relatively unscathed, he was unable to think of another word to aptly describe what else could have taken place.

His and Jack’s apartment was his instinctive first destination, and Alec was warmed to see that his best friend had changed nothing about his room. If anything, it looked as though the blond had turned it into a shrine.

Pausing in the doorway to Jack’s room, Alec felt like a stalker who had finally gotten closer to the object of his desire, but he didn’t care. Seeing Jack again after so long – especially when he had been pretty sure they were never going to meet again – felt like seeing him up close for the first time.

Jack was asleep in bed – the solid sleep of a transgenic who hadn’t spent the last months being brainwashed to be the perfect soldier – facing Alec. He shifted and a small smile spread across his face, making Alec wonder what he was dreaming about and if he was aware he was being watched.

Pushing himself away from the doorway, Alec crossed the room and flopped down on Jack’s bed without a word of warning. He knew it was a potentially dangerous action – Jack had likely been on edge for months and could strike out without thinking about it – but to Alec, waking his friend up that way seemed like the most perfect way to say ‘Hi, I’m not dead’.

As expected, Jack’s fist went flying the instant he was bounced awake, but Alec quickly caught it before it could connect.

“Jack!” he exclaimed, grabbing hold of his other arm. “It’s me!”

Jack flailed for another second before what Alec was saying sank into his brain and he went still. He frowned and stared at Alec, before his eyes widened in surprise. “Alec?” he whispered.

Suddenly feeling bashful, Alec offered him a small smile and shrugged a shoulder, running a hand over the back of his neck. “Hey,” he barely had time to greet before Jack launched himself into his arms.

“You’re alive!” Jack breathed, burying his face in Alec’s shoulder and breathing in his scent, which was disgusting considering Alec knew he was in desperate need of a shower. “Everyone said you were dead.”

That thought had been weighing on Alec’s mind since he had been stupid enough to let himself get roped into helping Max, Zack and the others break into Manticore. He’d hoped someone had found out he was actually alive and the information had filtered through to Jack, but obviously that hadn’t been the case.

He could feel his neck getting wet, but didn’t comment. If he felt like crying, how could he mock Jack for the same?

“I’m sorry.” The words felt inadequate. Alec knew there should be something else he could say to soothe Jack, but nothing seemed to cover everything. For ten years it had just been the two of them against the world – even after meeting Logan, they only tended to rely on each other – then Alec had left Jack alone. Something he had sworn he’d never do.

Jack pulled away, wiping the back of one hand across his cheek while remaining hold of Alec with the other. “What happened?” he sniffled.

And they were back to dealing with the reality of their creator’s actions. “I got wounded. It wasn’t bad,” he rushed to assure Jack when the blond’s face paled. “But it was bad enough for them to catch up and take me back.”

Jack swallowed and before Alec knew it, he found himself with armful of Transgenic. “You shouldn’t have gone without me,” he muttered petulantly. “I’ve got your back; not Max.”

Alec laughed weakly and hugged him back. “I know,” he replied softly. “But there was no way I was going to put you in that kind of danger. Max is expendable to me; you’re not. All that girl has ever done is cause problems.”

He paused for a second before grudgingly admitting, “I suppose letting us all loose redeemed her, a little.”


	25. Designate This (Part 2)

Alec had been complaining about the water pressure in their apartment for years; mostly to himself, but some times to Jack when he was feeling particularly attentive. 

After the Pulse hit, powerful showers had become a thing of the past unless you had money, which they have never had much of to start with. Really, they had been lucky to find a place with running water at all. Usually the only place Alec had been able to find a powerful shower was Logan’s.

That was a visit Alec was putting off for as long as possible. Not that he’d ever admit that to Jack - it had taken him two hours to admit it to himself.

Standing under the weak spray, Alec tipped his head back and closed his eyes, letting the water dribble over his face. It wasn’t hot, not by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to the communal showers in manticore, where it was one temperature and one pressure only, their crappy system felt like the best thing Alec had ever experienced.

He just hoped Jack didn’t want to take a shower that day, he thought as the water shut itself off. Alec might have been in there longer than he’d meant to be. Oh well, he thought to himself. He was sure his best friend wouldn’t mind.

Jack was sitting on Alec’s bed when he stepped into his bedroom and he raised an eyebrow. “I need to get dressed,” he pointed out.

The other transgenic shrugged his shoulders and Alec chuckled to himself, shaking his head. The blond had been plastered to his side ever since Alec had returned, and apparently wasn’t planning on leaving him any time soon.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Alec muttered, pulling his towel off and running it over his legs once before dropping it to the floor. Four months in Manticore had stripped him of any embarassment he might have ordinarily felt at being naked in front of his best friend; privacy hadn’t been a reality for Alec for a while now.

Pulling on some underwear, Alec glanced over his shoulder and laughed. Instead of leaving Alec alone for sixty seconds, Jack had pressed a hand across his eyes to make sure he didn’t see someone he didn’t want to.

“Okay, you can look now,” Alec informed him as he fastened his jeans.

Slowly, Jack parted his fingers enough so he could see. Then, when he deemed it was safe, he lowered his hand fully. 

“You need to see Logan,” Jack whispered after a few moments of comfortable silence. 

Even though Alec had always known he would need to do exactly what Jack had said, the reality of the situation suddenly hit him and he felt light headed. Until that point, he had successfully managed to avoid thinking about what had happened as he focused on Jack and scrubbing the smell of Manticore from his body.

Now, he didn’t have a choice. It was time to face up to the reality of what he had done.

“How is he?” Alec asked, his voice barely louder than Jack’s.

The look on his friend’s face told him more than words ever could; Jack had never had a good poker face. Alec’s stomach dropped down to somewhere around his toes and he swayed where he was standing. This was all his fault; everything that happened. He should never had gone with Max and Zack.

“The past three months…” Jack swallowed thickly and closed his eyes briefly. “It’s not been easy for either of us. Just… You need to see him.”

*

It took Alec longer than it should have to make it across the city to Logan’s penthouse. Normally he could have made the journey in less in than twenty minutes, but security was beefed up at checkpoints and there were queues around the block.

One look at the guards on patrol told Alec all he needed to know. Those were no normal Sector Police issued guns. Which only meant one thing.  
Manticore.

The knowledge that they had already sent their goons out to hunt down the escapees shouldn’t have surprised Alec, but somewhere inside him, he found it a little hard to believe that they had reacted so quickly.

Better to keep their genetically modified secrets underwraps, Alec supposed.

When he eventually did arrive at Logan’s building, the whole place was in darkness. A quick mental calculation told him that it was one of the city’s regular scheduled brown outs.

Noting to worry about, 494. Focus.

Alec shook his head, trying to push away the voice in his head that still insisted he was a solider. Those were Manticore’s words; the brain-washing they had put them all through was bound to leave some mental scars, and even before he’d been captured, he’d slipped a few times and thought of himself as a designation - as X5-494.

Now he was a person with a name and a boyfriend he needed to make things right with.

When he got up to Logan’s apartment, the door wasn’t locked but Alec wasn’t surprised - it never was. Alec wouldn’t be able to feign shock if he was told that Logan didn’t even have a key. The man was far too trusting for someone in their day and age.

Thanks to his extra sensitive eyes, Alec didn’t lights to be able to see Logan sitting in the darkness, facing the window and the dim lights glowing in distant buildings. 

He didn’t speak. He couldn’t. What do you say to someone you cheated on and then abandoned for three months while you were locked away in secret government facility?

Hallmark didn’t make cards for that.

In the end, it turned out Alec didn’t need to speak. Using the same sixth sense Alec had always been sure Logan possessed, the older man turned around. Neither of them spoke as they continued staring at each other; only one of them able to see perfectly.

Alec was the first to break the silence; he couldn’t stand it any longer. “Hey,” he croaked, his voice betraying him at the last second.

Almost as if the sound of his voice had been the trigger, Logan seemed to snap out of his daze. “Alec,” he whispered, pushing himself to his feet; the exoskeleton whirring slightly as he moved.

Logan was across the room in two long strides, crushing their mouths together almost before Alec had registered that the other man had moved. Logan smelt of cigarettes and crappy post-pulse whiskey - two things which he had never associated with Logan - but Alec didn’t care. He was here and real, and that was all Alec cared about.

“You’re alive,” Logan whispered, running his hands over Alec’s face even as he refused to move away.

Normally Alec would have like to issue a sarcastic response, but all he could manage was a feeble squeak, before he moved back in for another kiss.

He didn’t know how long they stayed in that embrace, and frankly he didn’t care, but it was long enough for the lights to flicker on as they came out of the brown out.

In the light, Logan looked even worse than Alec had initially thought. Sure, there had been dark circles under his eyes for a while - Eyes Only was not a nine to five job - but now they were practically black. He’d definiately lost weight; Alec could practically feel the other man’s bones through his skin.

In short, Logan looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept for three months.

Behind them, the door creaked and Alec spun around, automatically putting himself between Logan and the intruder.

The intruder, who turned out to be Max.

Great, Alec thought to himself. He had hoped they were finally free of her annoying prescene. Obviously, that idea had been a pipe dream.

Max, however, ignored Alec and focused on Logan. “You need to get out of here,” she stated and there was no missing the urgency in her voice.

Alec’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What did you do?”

His questioned earned a glare from her, but he really didn’t care; honestly by this point, he was used to knowing exactly how she felt about him.

“I didn’t do anything,” Max snapped, stepping around Alec and coming closer to Logan. “But Manticore got inside my head. They know who you are, and they’re coming for you.” She reached out, and placed a hand on Logan’s arm. “We need to get you someplace safe.”

Logan shook his head and opened his mouth to respond, but he didn’t manage to get the words out.

He was unconcious before he hit the ground.


	26. Designate This (Part 3)

It was over.

After all these years, it was finally over. They had done it. They’d finally managed to blow up the institution where they had been created; the flames taking the secrets of their genetic coding with them.

Before they’d hit the ignition button, Alec and Max had triggered the door release, setting every creation Manticore had tried to keep hidden loose. They might be selfish, but neither of them were heartless killers; only the Manticore employees deserved to die that night.

They were out there somewhere; every creation Manticore had tried to keep hidden in the basement had been let loose into the world where they had to fend for themselves.

Of course, for some that would be easy; those who looked like Max and Alec would be slip into normal society with relatively little trouble. It was the ones who looked more creature than human who would struggle.

But Alec couldn’t worry about that. Max had been the one who got them in this mess in the first place; she could concentrate on getting them out of it.

He had bigger things to worry about.

As soon as Alec and Max had returned from Manticore, Jack had injected Logan with the antidote to whatever poison they had put in Max’s veins. When it didn’t work straight away, Alec had started to panic, before Jack reminded him that these things generally took time, and they wouldn’t go to the effort of making a fake antidote just to give Alec a panic attack.

That had been four hours ago. Max had left almost as soon as she’d seen that Logan had started to response to the drugs, and Alec couldn’t honestly say that he was sad to see her go. Jack was still around somewhere, but Alec had no idea where.

Manticore may have been destroyed, but X5-494 had a mission objective. Keep X5-452 away from Logan Cale for the rest of time.

“Alec?” Logan groaned, speaking for the first time since he had woken from the chemically induced coma. His voice was croaky from mis-use, but he was alive and that was all Alec cared about; everything else went of his head.

He didn’t move from his spot across the room, near the window which looked out onto the mostly dark city. “I’m here,” he whispered, his voice almost lost in the silence of the room as he turned his back on the view.

Logan put on his glasses, before looking at Alec across the room. “Why are you all the way over there?” he asked, an accusatory tone in his voice.

Part of Alec wanted to take a step closer, assure his boyfriend that there was nothing wrong. But the rest of him knew that wasn’t the case; nothing would ever be the same. “I… I don’t want to risk infecting you again,” he confessed.

A frown creased Logan’s forehead. “Did they infect you too?” he questioned. “I thought it was just Max.”

“It was,” Alec responded. “That we know of, at least. We have no way of knowing that they didn’t put the same kind of drugs in my system too. For all we know, you reacted like that because of my touch, not hers. I’d rather not risk it.”

The confusion disappeared from Logan’s face, only to be replaced with irritation and annoyance. “Don’t you think I should have a say in what happens?” he demanded. “It’s my body and life we’re talking about, here.”

“Exactly,” Alec snapped. He wasn’t angry; he was scared and had never dealt with his emotions very well. “I’m not going to be the one responsible from taking those away from you.”

Logan growled and glared at the transgenic. “Alec, get your martyr ass over here,” he ordered. 

The soldier inside Alec’s mind snapped then and he immediately fell into the role of the dutiful X5 Manticore had always wanted him to be. He was across the room, standing in front of Logan, before he knew it.

Without saying another word or giving Alec time to react, Logan reached up and curled his fingers across Alec’s own.

At the contact of skin on skin, Alec’s breath caught and he felt it catch in his throat. This is it; the last time he was ever going to feel the warmth of life on Logan’s skin under his hand. And this time it would be all his fault. No blaming Max this time.

Five minutes of hand holding later, and nothing had happened. Was this how long it had been before? Alec couldn’t remember. Earlier everything had seemed to happen on fast forward and slow motion at the same time. All concept of time had gone out of the window as soon as Logan had collapsed the first time.

After twenty minutes, they were still in the same position and Logan had yet to show any sign of having an adverse reaction to Alec’s touch. Even Alec had to admit that he was starting to feel the flicker of doubt in the back of his mind.

Logan lifted his head and met’s Alec’s eyes. He actually looked better than he had all day, Alec had to admit. “Is the point where I get to say I told you so?” Logan whispered, his voice laced with amusement, as he tightened his grip on Alec, pulling the pliant transgenic onto the couch beside him.

Normally Alec would have made a quip about hating when the other man was right, but at that moment he couldn’t bring himself to form the words. He had never been more grateful to be wrong in his entire mutant life.

Instead, he just whispered, “Yeah,” as he leant against Logan’s side, resting his head on Logan’s shoulder and closing his eyes. “You were right.”


	27. Bag 'Em

Life for Alec, Jack and Logan settled into relative normality after that first hectic day out.

Whatever that meant for two transgenics and a cyber reporter in post-pulse Twenty-First Century Seattle, at least.

Unfortunately for Alec that meant returning to work; the one place he genuinely hadn’t thought about for the whole time he had been locked away inside Manticore.

Logan had tried to convince him that he didn’t need to return to work; that he could support them both. But Alec had been quick to dismiss his words. While he knew Logan was being sincere, there was no way that Alec’s pride would let him rely on someone else for food and shelter.

He and Jack had been providing for themselves for so long now that it was hard to accept even the smallest amount of help; be that financial or otherwise.

No, he needed to get back into his usual routine. Even if that did mean seeing Max again for the first time since she had nearly killed his boyfriend.

Normal had welcomed Alec back with open arms and hadn’t even questioned where he had been for three months. He didn’t even comment on the coincidental return of both him and Max within days of each other.

Part of Alec was concerned that Normal’s happiness at his return was masking how he really felt, and he was worried that at some point in the near future, the already high strung man would snap like a rubber band.

But the rest of Alec didn’t care, and he just concentrated getting on with his work and actually earning his pay check for a change.

At least that had been his decision until Max had stormed up to him and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him away from where he had been in the middle of a wildly inappropriate story about some girl he hadn’t actually met (Sketchy didn’t need to know that).

“What?” Alec demanded, wrenching his arm out of her grip and glaring at her. They hadn’t been within six feet of each other since that day and Alec had been more than fine with that. As far as he was concerned if he never had another conversation with X5-452 again, it would be too soon.

“I need your help,” Max stated in such a matter of fact way that it made Alec grit his teeth.

“Sorry, Maxie,” he replied, turning on his heel so he was facing away from her. “I’m busy.”

Max reached out to grab hold of him again, but this time he anticipated it and pulled his arm out of her reach. “Haven’t you been paying attention to what’s happening around you? There’s a signal recalling…” she glanced around, before lowering her voice a little, “…us back to base. I need your help to destroy it.”

Something inside Alec snapped and he spun on his heel, glaring at her without ferocity that she actually recoiled. “I fail to see how that’s my problem,” he hissed, stepping closer until they were practically face to face. “Last I checked, you were the one who got everyone into this mess, not me.”

“You were right there with me!” Max yelled, drawing the attention of a few people around them, but most of them were used to domestics so didn’t pay them any mind.

Alec snarled. “Let’s get one thing straight, Princess. I was there to get the antidote for Logan; I don’t give a shit about you and your crusade to cut whatever ties you might still have to that place. Me and Jack put Manticore behind us a long time ago. As far as I’m concerned, all this shit that’s happened over the last year has been your fault.”

Max took a step back, looking for all the world like a wounded puppy. Good, Alec thought darkly. Let her try the poor little girl trick; he wasn’t going to fall for it. He was done with her and her stupid ideas.

“If they find out where we are,” Max began, dropping her voice again so it was little more than a whisper, “none of us will be safe. Not even Logan… or Jack.”

 

*

One of these days, Alec was sure that he was going to make a decision to not do something and he was going to stick to it.

Of course, today hadn’t been that day.

He had been so firm in his resistance and not even the mention of Logan had been enough to make him change his mind. Then Max had gone and mentioned Jack. After that, there had been no way Alec could not help her.

Damn her.

He shifted his grip on the X6 that hadn’t been clever enough to duck when someone fired at him, Alec couldn’t believe how stupid he had been to think that Max’s crusade was ever going to be something so simple as a smash and grab.

“Who do you think they were?” Max asked, trying to making conversation not for the first time since they’d fled from the guards.

Every other time Alec had managed to ignore her, but even he had to admit that he was curious as to what was going on. “No idea,” he answered honestly. “They weren’t Manticore, that’s for sure.”

Max hummed in response. “Not with those weapons,” she agreed.

Two non-injured X6’s slid the barn doors open, stepping back to let Max and Alec carry their injured comrade inside.

Alec saw that the barn wasn’t occupied a split second before Max did and he groaned, rolling his eyes. Max started at the presence of the unknown person, before pausing at Alec’s reaction.

“You… You know each other?” she asked, looking between the brunette stranger and Alec.

The other woman smirked and raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Alec. “You could say that,” she purred — actually purred — in response.

Alec rolled his eyes again. “She was my breeding partner back at Manticore,” he told Max with a sigh of impatience. “Max, meet X5-978.”

“Penny,” she corrected, drawing a surprised look from Alec. “Manticore is gone now, and I needed a name. It seemed appropriate,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Do you two need a room?” Max asked, looking between them with an expression Alec couldn’t quite identify. Personally, he liked to think she was jealous at the fact that he had hooked up with someone else while they had been incarcerated. But he wasn’t stupid, he knew was likely just thinking about all the possibilities that could happen between her and Logan.   
When they’d removed the virus, of course.

Alec was about to retort with the most sarcastic thing he could think of, but he needn’t bother. Penny replied before he had even formed the words. “Would you be joining?”

The look on Max’s face made every bad thing he’d ever thought about Penny disappear. She looked like she was going to be sick, and Alec wasn’t sure that it was the thought of being with him again that made her look like that.

He was starting to like this non-soldier version of Penny. She could stay, he decided. Purely for entertainment, of course.

A groan from the injured X6 snapped them all back to the presence, and Alec quickly set about removing his belt and handing it to Penny. They would need something to tourniquet the wound, and since she was there, the least she could do was make herself useful.

As she did what her training had drilled into her, Alec reached into his pocket, pulling out his pen knife and a lighter.

Max tore the kid’s trouser leg open, drawing a gulp from one of the other transgenics, before one of the females darted away.

“Bet that one flunked field med,” he muttered, not taking his attention away from where he was heating up the blade. 

“You mean like you did?” Max retorted, effectively managing to shut him up and remind him that he hated Max in one fell swoop.

*

“Oh give me a break,” Alec groaned mid-way through Max’s speech about not needing to be soldiers any more.

Max glared at him. “Shut up,” she ordered. 

Luckily for Alec he had never been any good at following orders. “Look at these kids,” he said, pushing himself away from the wall he had been leaning on. “They have no idea what it’s like to be anything but a soldier. They’ll never be able to get by out here in the real world.”

“Neither did we,” Max reminded him. “We were younger than them when we got out, and we managed okay, didn’t we?”

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, we’re doing fine,” he answered, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. 

Max turned back to her troops — sorry, the rest of the transgenics — and continued what she had been saying before Alec had interrupted her. “Now that you’re in the real world, you’re going to need names. You’re more than a number, and you need to have names to show that.”

She stepped up to the oldest of the X’s.”How do you feel about Tom?”

He looked down and for a second, Alec was sure he was going to tell her it was a stupid name. Then he looked up and smiled. “I like it.”

Max returned the smile. “You’re on sentry duty.” The X - Tom - jumped to attention before falling out of line and doing as ordered. Once a soldier, always a soldier. Max looked a bit concerned that he had done as she’d said so readily, but seemed to shake it off pretty quick as she moved to the next X6, a short haired young girl. “I saw you messing around with that radio back there,” she began, making Alec bite back a sigh — as far as opening gambits go, that was pretty shitty, even for Max.

The girl nodded. “I excelled in diagnostics and repair, I was trying to fix it.”

Max grinned. “Perfect. Do you think you’ll be able to manage it?” The X nodded confidently. “Thanks, Ellie?” she turned the last word into a question, receiving a brilliant smile and nod in response, below Ellie too moved away from the standard formation.

“You’re the girl that threw up,” Max stated moving over to the next in line.

Alec smirked. “You could always call her Ralph,” he suggested helpfully.

“Ralph,” the X mused. “I like it.”

Max frowned. “But it’s a boys name.”

“So’s Max,” Alec pointed out, but this time no one reacted to him. Not that he was bothered; he was pretty much used to it by now, and actually preferred when he was left alone.

“What about Cathy?” Max suggested, to which the X - now Cathy - nodded. “Go check on Michael.”

Cathy frowned. “Who’s Michael?”

“The kid that got shot,” Alec answered for Max from across the room. He figured it was a sorry state of affairs when he actually knew what Max was talking about and was actually on the same wave length as her.

Maybe the world really was coming to an end.

Last in the line up was a young X8, who had been clutching a bugle as though his life depended on it. It didn’t take a genius to work out that he was in the bugle corps. “What do you think about Connor?” she asked, showing more maternal instinct to him than she had to any of the rest of them. 

Meekly the kid nodded his head. “What’s my assignment?” he asked. 

Something about the way he was talking hit Alec like a ton of bricks and he had to look away, trying to get his lungs and brain to co-operate with each other again. Alec wasn’t an expert, but if he had to guess, he would say that the kid was about the age they had been when they’d escaped. That lost little boy look on his face, reminded Alec so much of everyone else who had escaped that night that it actually hurt to look at him for a second.

“Getting some sleep,” Max replied with a smile.

Connor frowned and his eyes flickered to the window. “It’s not lights-out yet.”

Max chuckled. “Out here you can sleep whenever you want,” she told him. “Let’s find you a bunk.”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and together they headed across the barn, leaving Alec alone, wishing he was back with Logan instead of in a barn while they hatched a plan to get past the road blocks.

It really was a fucked up life he led.


	28. Proof Of Purchase

Jack took a drink of the beer he’d had in his hand for the last hour, and grimaced. It was disgusting. Not that he had expected anything different; finding a good drink in post-pulse Seattle was next to impossible.

Even the coffee was nothing more than instant.

Beside him, Alec hadn’t even bothered to pretend that he was even interesting in drinking. That wasn’t why they had come out that night.

No, they were there to have fun and make money in as legal a way as possible.

The crowds around were going wild as yet another large man was sent packing, clutching his abdomen and glaring at everyone who cheered his opponent on.

Neither Alec nor Jack cared about that. They were up in their winnings; Jack just couldn’t remember how much by.

In the centre of the room, the victor was looking around, silently daring anyone to try and challenge him. Not that anyone was stupid enough to even consider it.

Or so they thought.

Just when the commentator had been about to announce the large man the winner for the evening, a new comer made their way up to the ring. Or rather, her way to the ring.

Beside him, Jack felt Alec groan instead of heard it and he turned his head to look at his best friend questioningly. 

Knowing what Jack wanted to know, Alec leant closer so it would be easier and said, “You remember me telling you about Penny?” Jack nodded his head. “That’s her.”

Dread filled Jack as he turned back to the ring. He didn’t like when other transgenics appeared in the city. They usually meant trouble. He had only just gotten used to Max’s presence, and even she had proved him right about being trouble. She’d almost gotten both Alec and Logan killed. Jack had no desire to experience the same thing with others in the X series.

Together they watched as Penny took on opponent after opponent, knocking each of them to the ground with ease that clearly gave away the fact that she wasn’t completely human. She needed to stop, Jack thought to himself. She was going to give away their existence and that would cause trouble for everyone.

Not that concern for their safety was enough to stop Alec and Jack from betting on her. Surely there weren’t very many people out there who could beat an X5 in a fight.

*

Alec grinned and leant back, rifling through the wad of cash. “I knew it was a good idea betting on the fight, but this is awesome,” he exclaimed, grinning over at Jack.

Jack hummed and pursed his lips. He still wasn’t convinced it had been a good idea to stick around after Penny made her appearance, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to turn away such an easy score.

“She wasn’t even hiding her barcode,” Jack said softly, glancing back at the money again. “Did you see?”

Alec scoffed. “Of course I saw,” he retorted. “Everyone saw.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She’s not our problem. She made that very clear when she took off. If she wants to be a lone wolf, then that’s her business. Ours, is trying to decide where to spend all this wonderful money.”

Jack laughed. “We could always save some of it for when we really need it?” he suggested.

The look Alec threw at him made him laugh; the green eyed transgenic looked like he just suggested he give away his favourite leather jacket.

*

Alec had been staring at the table for over two hours. Honestly, Jack was sure he had never seen the other man look so forlorn.

Jack sighed and shovelled some noodles into his mouth (Logan really was an amazing cook). “Would you get over it already?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “It’s only money and it wasn’t even ours to start with. Not technically.”

Alec finally lifted his head and stared at Jack as though he had grown two heads. “It wasn’t just money,” he argued. “We could have done something with that ten grand. We could have… I don’t know, gotten out of the city. Hell, we could have left the country if we wanted to. And now it’s gone. Thanks to her.” He spat the last word out with a vehemence Jack had only ever known be reserved for Max.

“You and I both know that you would never leave Logan behind, and there’s not way he’d be willing to leave Seattle and Eyes Only behind,” Jack pointed out softly. “White gave Penny an ultimatum; kill or be killed. There wasn’t really much else she could do.”

Alec scoffed. “She could have not gotten into the ring with her barcode showing,” he argued. “You would think that all the years on the inside would have taught her that everyone around can turn on you in a heart beat. And, considering what we know White and his cronies are looking to take out any one of us they can, she should have known that he would have eyes and ears on every one of the underground fight clubs!”

He took a deep breath and the end of his rant, and Jack had to bite back a smile. He knew Alec wasn’t really pissed that he had been forced to make the choice between keeping the money and saving Penny’s life, but he would let him live in the delusion for a little while longer.

Sometimes it was good to keep up pretence, even if it was to yourself. It was the only way to stop yourself from going mad sometimes.


	29. Radar Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Radar love is one of the few episodes I've never liked; the second is Boo. 
> 
> So instead of Alec slipping in to help out with what happens in these episodes, these chapters focus on what's going on with Alec and co, while is Max off doing what she does on the show.

Alec was getting tired of Max’s self-righteous bullshit.

That shouldn’t be a surprise to him, but yet every time he heard her preaching about her cause, he still wanted to punch her in the mouth.

So, there wasn’t anything new there.

Only something was new. There was something different about how he felt about the other X5 series, and he had no idea what was making him feel so irritated at someone who he had been able to, up until very recently, at least tolerate being in the same room as.

Now, whenever Max entered the room, Alec made any excuse he could think of to get out of it. And if he couldn’t, he just left without trying to pretend.

It was driving him insane and he was pretty sure he was doing everyone else’s head in. He wasn’t normally this easily agitated.

Max wasn’t even the only one who had been trapped away inside Manticore, for crying out loud. He had been in there for just as long as she had. Hell, even Penny had more room to complain than Max did. But that didn’t stop her acting like the little pariah that she…

Something slamming down in front of him made Alec jump and he looked up in surprise to see Jack standing over him, staring down at him with a tired look on his face. “What?” he asked slowly, trying to work out if there was something he had missed while he had been ranting in his head.

The other man unfurled the fingers of his fist and held the two pills he was holding out to Alec. “If you don’t take these right now, I’m going to pin you down and force feed you them,” Jack threatened.

Alec contemplated arguing against being told what to do — it wasn’t something he had ever handled well, after all. Jack may be an X5 like he was, but that didn’t mean he was stronger. Alec had been the one who had excelled in combat training, and his time spent on the ‘inside’ had forced him to hone those skills even more. He was pretty sure he could take Jack in a fight.

Not that Alec wanted to get into a fight with anyone. Well, except Max. He was pretty sure if she walked into the room, Alec wouldn’t have been able to restrain himself.

He felt rather than saw Jack press the pills into his hand and, acting more on autopilot than anything else, placed the pills in his mouth and swallowed them with a large gulp of water.

As soon as the pills touched his lips, he realised what he should always have known. That the pills were the tryptophan his stupid, messed up body needed to stop his brain from going into override and probably short circuiting.

Damn Manticore to hell.

The pills were disgusting — nothing Alec had tried had been successful in masking the vile taste — but as soon as he swallowed them he could feel them doing their job. It felt like his brain was starting to reassemble itself for the first time in over a week.

So that was what had been wrong with him, he mused with a sigh as he laid down on the couch, pressing his eyes closed.

“Are you starting to feel better?” Jack asked, his voice sounding much clearer now that he could focus on something other than his mixed up and jumbled thoughts. Alec hummed in response but didn’t open his eyes. “Thank god,” Jack muttered under his breath.

Alec forced his eyes open and watched Jack move away from him, heading into the kitchen. “How long have I been rambling?” he asked. Because, now that he was starting to be able to think clearly, he knew that’s what he had been doing. His thoughts about Max and her irritating habits hadn’t been as much in his head as Alec had thought.

“About Max?” Jack replied. “About an hour,” he answered over the whistle of the kettle. “If I ever doubted how you felt about her, you’ve cleared that up for me.”

Alec groaned and pressed his face into the tatty cushions of the couch. “I hate this,” he muttered, voice muffled a little. “What I wouldn’t give for my body to be normal like yours. You have no idea how lucky you have it.”

Behind him, he heard a clink of something hitting the counter with enough force to shake the surface. Curiously, he lifted his head and looked over at Jack, who was looking at him with a furious expression.

“What?” he asked in confusion.

Jack remained silent for a second, but the murderous look never slipped from his face. When he did speak, his voice was low and deadly; Alec knew that if he wasn’t going careful, this wouldn’t end well for him. So much for being able to take Jack in a fight.

“I know you’re not feeling like yourself,” Jack began, curling his fingers into fists on the counter. “But don’t you ever suggest that I don’t know how lucky I have it, compared to you. I have to watch you go through withdrawal symptoms when you run out almost every other month, Alec. I may not feel the same things you do, but I know what you’re going through. And I know exactly how lucky I am that I’m one of the few who isn’t affected by the seizures.”

Without saying another world, the murderous look slipped from Jack’s face and he turned so his back was to Alec, ignoring the other man for favour of making them something to drink and eat.


	30. Boo

Jack loved Halloween with a passion most people usually reserved for Christmas.

If it was up to him, the world would celebrate the spooky holiday more than once a year.

Because he loved it so much, it was hard for the people around him to not feel at least some of his enthusiasm purely by proximity.

Jack’s love of the holiday was the only reason Alec was standing in Logan’s bathroom, trying to finalise his awesome (if he said so himself) make up. Personally, he wasn’t really a fan of running around in costume, pretending to be something he wasn’t. It reminded him a little too much of the fact that he wasn’t human and was actually just pretending. Constantly in costume.

He was sure if he had an actual therapist, they would have a field day.

“Would you hurry up already?” Jack’s impatient voice exclaimed from the other side of the bathroom door.

Alec bit back a sarcastic response and glanced at his reflection one last time. He wasn’t one hundred percent happy with his make up — personally, he thought it could do with a little more — but he knew that he was never really likely to be happy with how he looked.

It wasn’t going to get much better, he supposed, pulling the sliding bathroom door open and stepping out into the hallway.

Jack was standing opposite the doorway, looking like he had been ready for hours — which Alec knew without even asking was actually the case. He had been dying to take his Count Dracula costume out for a test run all week. Alec wasn’t certain how, but he had managed to talk him out of it and into saving it for the actual party.

When Jack had told — not asked, told - Alec what his costume was going to be, he hadn’t been very impressed. He had wanted to be something much cooler; Zombies fell out of fashion years ago, but now that he had changed into his costume, he had to admit that his best friend had excellent taste.

“Does my make up look all right?” Alec asked, looking over his shoulder into the bathroom and contemplating checking his reflection once more.

He looked back to see Jack rolling his eyes. “It looks fine,” he assured the other transgenic, grabbing hold of Alec’s arm and pulling him down the corridor.

Logan was waiting for them in the sitting room and Alec wouldn’t have been able to stop the leer spreading across his face if he had wanted to. The older man had been keeping details of his costume under wraps, and only Jack had known what he had been planning on wearing.

Now Alec knew why. If he had known his date to the party was going to be James Bond, he might would have cancelled their evening and neither of them would have left the penthouse.

Something he was seriously considering on doing, even though they were going to be late if they didn’t leave immediately.

Before he could even think about telling Jack he was going to the party alone, the other man rolled his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking,” Jack stated, “and it’s not going to happen. We’re all going to this party; even if I have to turn the hose on you to get you there.”

*

Thankfully for Alec’s make-up, Jack’s threat had been all that was required to re-route his thoughts and for him to focus on something other than the very sexy Logan Cale. Seriously, surely it was illegal for people to look that good in a simple suit?

The party was at Crash - like there was ever gong to be anywhere else it could be; Alec wasn’t even sure there were other clubs in the sector, and no-one was going to travel between different areas of the city after dark just because they wanted something to drink.

Charlie, the bouncer, gave them a scrutinising look as they approached; jumping the queue of course, much to the chagrin of the people queuing.

“Alec?” he eventually asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to see through the make up that Alec had spent hours plastering on his face.

He grinned in response and nodded his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a couple of bills to cover the entrance fee. “Hey, Charlie. How are you doing?” he asked, handing the money to the bouncer and hopping over the tape (seriously, why did they try to be posh whenever they had a party? Crash was about as far from a red rope club as it was possible to get).

The three of them headed into the club amid angry yells of favouritism, before the door slammed closed behind them.

It had been a long time since Alec had seen the club as packed as it was on a Sunday night. Most people didn’t like to drink on a Sunday night because of work, but not on Halloween.

Halloween was one of the few nights of the year when people allowed themselves to release the tight hold they had on their lives and let the crazy out.

Alec was just glad Normal had made Max work the skeleton shift at Jam Pony. It was just the three of them.

And a couple of hundred other people.


End file.
